Aftermath
by Desepere Romantique
Summary: COMPLETE Sequel to 'That Voice Which Sings To Me' Katey returns from Paris, but two years later she's haunted by His memory. She can't get him out of her head, but... how could she be in love with the very man who killed her? [T for a little violence and
1. Ketchup

**Wow, it's my sequel! Wasn't this quick? **

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It had been three years since my coma, and things were normal as could be.

Well, sort of.

Mom and dad and Clair and everyone else were ubber happy that I was alright and that I went home only three days after... you know what, and I acted my part great, that I was happy to be home and all, except for a few things.

If you were an outsider looking in you could say that I was perfectly normal, and all good, but I wasn't. My heart had been broken. And by the very man who had murdered me.

When I was in my coma, for some reason unknown to man, my soul was taken back to Paris, 1870 where I lived in the Paris Opera House with the Ballet girls, Madame Giry, Meg and Christine. I had been hopelessly in love with Raoul, and insanely jealous of Christine until the night of the Masquerade. I met a seemingly perfect man, Francois, and he courted me up to the night of Jon Juan Triumphant.

I had asked Christine to trade places with me as to throw Erik off, and wound up in an underground lair cornered by Francois, who suffocated me, thus bringing my soul back home to the twenty-first century.

I should really have hated Francois, but when I think of him, my first memory is of the Masquerade, where he kissed me, but then I remember the murder, and try and push the goose bumps and exhilaration I feel out of my mind. But it comes back every time.

But how can I be in love with the man who killed me?

Some things I will never know.

But those feelings had begun to dull… up until the night I saw 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway four months later.

I had been so exited about seeing the show in the center Orchestra section, but after the intermission I felt sick, and all of the memories I had so carefully locked away, as to not feel the loneliness, had rushed back.

It was painful to watch the Masquerade and remember the love I had found and lost, and especially have to go through watching the graveyard scene and Don Juan. But it was terribly rude to leave during the middle of the show, so I stayed, but with my eyes closed, staring hard down into my lap, trying to keep back tears.

Since then I have given up my entire Phantom of the Opera collection; the books, movies, CD's, the whole nine yards.

I gave it all to Clair, who was delighted, but puzzled.

"Katey, this is your life! Why are you giving it all away?" She asked, astonished.

"Because, I realize that there are other things. Just please don't ask why."

And so she took the things, and never questioned me on the matter again.

Over two years had passed since then, and things had become normal, until just a few weeks ago…

I started having dreams, more like nightmares, about when I was back in Paris.

I saw little flashes of my old everyday life, and it was like watching an instant replay. But every time I would wake up crying, and they have been happening more and more often.

Just last night I had dreamed the Masquerade, which I'd been dreaming about the most often, and just after Francois and I had kissed, I woke up sobbing.

It was the best moment of my lives, and it made my heart break even more with every dream.

But the absolute worst part was that I couldn't tell anyone, because no one would believe that while I was in a coma I had traveled back in time to a Fictional Place with made up people. I would just be laughed at.

So I was left on my own to try and figure this thing out.

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**Just a short little chapter. **

**Ok, seriously short chapter. **

**But it's just the intro. A little thing to catch you up to speed. **

**Hope you'll like this thing, though! **


	2. Explanations

**Alright, so instead of doing a regular chapter as I would have, I'm going to do a stupid, annoying default chapter. **

**I'm going to explain all of your questions. **

**The most popular of which is… **

**How was Francois the Voice? **

**I'll tell you how. **

When Katey was walking home from Clair's house, Francois (yes, actually his name, and not some made up one like Fleur, His parent's were French) saw her, and, him being the whack job psycho path he is, decided to kill her.

Ok, you say, that sounds idiotic. No one kills for no reason at all.

Actually yes, people DO kill for just the trill of killing.

That would explain why he attacked her.

Well, after Katey Blacked out, a few minutes later Clair had decided to return the CD Katey had left.

Francois hid, and Clair called 911, and not Katey's mom and dad.

**Does that answer that question? **

**Next there was the controversy of 'How the heck did Katey get to Paris 1870?'**

Well, it's a strange phenomenon with people who aren't dead, but aren't alive.

They can't go to the afterlife, but don't stay here on earth. Meaning to say that they're stuck in a kind of limbo.

So, in some bizarre quirk of time, space and gravity she was taken to another dimension.

'**Ok, well how did Francois get there with her, then?'**

Well, when he last touched her (back in the first attack) she had successfully reached Paris 1870, and some of the quirkiness had passed from her to Francois, and so he was sent back too.

**And I will also write a chapter about what happened after Katey died in the chamber down there, so sit tight. **

**Any more questions I will answer personally. **


	3. What? I Thought I Killed you!

**Sorry updating took so long. This week was the last week of school, so we were loaded down with finals and last minute homework, and then there were all the parties and, of COURSE I had to go to the Rangers games! I mean, the A's were in town! And trust me, it was well worth it because…**

**I MET ERIC CHAVEZ, HUSTON STREET AND NICK SWISHER! (Insert loud girlish scream of joy here) **

**But here I am updating, so… BE HAPPY AGAIN!**

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It was amazing how slow time could go during science class. I mean, there's a lot of work to do, but when your teacher decides to throw a lecture at you, it's like time just slows down like maple syrup that was left outside in the dead of winter.

At night time.

And the only option besides actually listening and taking notes was starting blankly at the wall or some other inanimate object.

So there I sat, head propped up by my hand, and staring at the clock, wishing that time would hurry up. And Good God Mr. Harris sounded like Del Close from 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'.

My eyes drooped, and I barely struggled to keep them open. Right now, anything seemed better than having to listen to Mr. Harris drone on and on and on and on.

I sighed refocused my gaze on the wall, my eyes growing heavier and heavier…

I was at Schlitterbahn, one of the world's greatest water parks, and home to the band competition I was apparently in. I was sitting on the top of the Boogie Blast with my horn… and we were about to play, but hang on… why was the Paris Opera house there?

I stood up, and suddenly Schlitterbahn melted away, and I was walking down the Boulevard Des Capucines again. The street was crowded with people, a few giving me strange looks.

I looked down, expecting to see myself dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, but instead I was wearing the Don Juan costume.

I felt embarrassed to be seen in public in such (for the time, which, judging by the ladies dresses wasn't too long after 1870) a skimpy outfit.

I covered myself with my arms, and hurried to the Opera House.

I slipped inside through the backdoor, where the grove of sorbus torminalis trees was. The corridors inside the 'House were just as I expected. Noisy and crowded with people walking around in various costumes.

I imagined that all the familiar faces I saw would greet me enthusiastically, but I was disappointed with my less than welcome greetings.

I waved and smiled, but my old friends from the Corps, working women, and chorus members gave frightened looks and quickly ran away.

No kidding, they RAN away.

I furrowed my brow. What in the world was going on? Maybe… Oh! There's Christine and Meg!

"Meg! Christine!" I shouted, waiving my arm higher to attract their attention.

I jogged down the hall, trying to make my way through all the people, and succeeded only after dodging one of the Fly men.

"Meg! Christine! I've missed you _so _much!" Instead of speaking the now familiar English, my words came out French, and it made me tingle with happiness in being back.

The two girls turned in response to hearing my voice, but upon seeing me a look of terror was etched into their faces.

"Oh God Almighty!" Meg cried, and Christine crossed herself, looking as though she was going to scream, cry and throw up at the same time.

I tried to approach them, with my arm reached out to calm them down and see what was wrong, but Christine slapped the air in front of my hands to try and ward me off whilst backing against the wall in fright.

"Go back! Leave us be, demonic ghost!" shouted Fredrikk, appearing from somewhere behind me.

A crowd had gathered, and I was afraid. Why in Heaven's name were they all scared of me? And why did he just call me ghost?

And suddenly it clicked. I really was a ghost to them. I had died in their world, seemingly gone forever and now… now I had come from nowhere and they didn't want me here, believing I was sent here to torture them like other mean-ass spirits, who come to avenge something.

I licked my lips and opened my mouth to explain I didn't want to harm them, that I didn't know why I was here, but they just shouted at me to go back to the land of the dead.

It was strange really, how they were all surrounding me instead of running away in fear, but I think it was just out of the shock of seeing me alive. Ok, not alive, but just… there.

"Please! Listen to me!" I tried saying, holding up my hands to show I was innocent, but they refused to hear me out. They shouted until they drowned out anything else… The noise dizzied me, and I swayed off balance. I could feel blood drain out of my face, and I saw the floor rise up to greet me as I dropped to the floor in a faint of some sorts.

"Katey? Katey? Oh my God, Katey, tell me you're ok!"

I raised my head from the hard tabletop, and had to blink a few times before my eyes focused.

I was back in my science class, except now instead of hearing Mr. Harris go on about some load of crap no one cares about, people were surrounding me and whispering about me, most likely.

"What happened?" I asked, my head throbbing.

"You fell asleep or something… and then you started yelling in German or some other language and then you were thrashing all over the place, and then all of a sudden you got real still and we thought you died or whatever!" Amanda, the girl who sat next to me said.

I thought of my dream and groaned. I hadn't realized I'd been talking aloud. I hid my face in my hands and leaned back in my chair, wishing that I could stop these weirdo nightmares.

"Are you alright? Do you need to go to the nurse?" Amanda asked, now sounding concerned.

"N- wait… yeah, I think I should go. Talking in French, and in my sleep? Wow, yeah, I'll just go. Okay?" I knew that I had to go home if I was going to be visiting Paris in my sleep. And I knew that if I stayed I would be falling asleep again.

"Alright, take the pass." Mr. Harris said, handing me the bright pink hall pass.

"See ya." I waved as I stepped from the room. It was hard not to gloat when I got to miss a lecture.

I was all alone in the hall, and my awesome new high heels were making a loud racket. Sure I liked my heels, which were two inches high, but on linoleum when you're the only person sounds like it's straight out of a horror movie.

You know the plot line… The girl in stiletto's or something is walking down the empty hallway. Then all of a sudden there's a second set of footsteps, only louder and manlier. Then there's a whole suspense bit, and then when the chick turns around BAM she dies.

I gave a little chuckle, but I couldn't help but look over my shoulder.

Seeing no one I mentally scolded myself.

'Get a grip Katey; He's not going to be here in your freaking school. I mean, honestly, it's a SCHOOL. He couldn't get past the secretaries. Unless He climbed through a heating duct or something.

I smiled at the thought of Francois in a heating duct in the ceiling, and turned the knob to the nurse's office.

"Can I help you dear?" She asked, looking up from her computer monitor.

"I sort of fainted in Science, and now my head feels like someone's smashing a sledgehammer into it." I admitted, trying to look sick.

"Oh… Ok, well how about you lie down and I'll get you some water. Do you have any medicines here?" She asked, looking over her shoulder from the sink in the corner.

"Uh yeah. I should have some Motrin or Tylenol." I said, sitting down on the pink plastic bed. "I'm Katey Douglas." I added, seeing her look over her shoulder again, this time from the medicine cabinet.

Nurse Brightfield handed me my aspirin and had me lie down after I swallowed it.

"And… would you like to call your mom or dad?" She asked as she pulled up my file from the computer, no doubt seeing on the record I had been in a coma before.

"Um, yeah." I said. They Tylenol had really taken effect. I was now extremely tired, and felt like falling asleep right there.

She handed me the phone, and I called my mom's cell.

It rang about three times before she picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey Mom."

"What's wrong hun? You sound terrible."

"I'm in the nurse's office. I don't feel very good."

There was a pause.

"Like… you know… _that_ kind of bad." I continued.

"I'm coming right over sweetie. See you in a minute."

"Ok, bye mom."

We both hung up, and I handed the receiver back to the nurse.

"She's coming?" The nurse asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. I'm going to…"

"Go lie down." She finished for me.

I sat back down, and leaned my head against the white stone wall. I didn't want to risk lying down and going back to sleep.

Within twenty minutes mom had come, got me, and dropped me off back at home, telling me that if anything happened, just call her.

I had nodded and promised that I would, and once she had driven away, flopped down on my bed.

Now I could sleep in peace, and didn't have to worry about anyone hearing me speak in French.

But by now no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get to sleep.

I tossed from side to side, and buried my face in my pillow, but I still couldn't fall back asleep.

Conceiting defeat I got up from my bed.

Sheesh, how the heck was I going to do now?

Almost immediately I wanted to slap myself.

Hello, Earth to me. I am HOME on a school day. I could do, like, anything!

Sure I felt bad about staying home, and making mom have to come get me and worry about me, but hey, I'm a normal (yeah, just keep thinking that) teenage girl.

I raided the kitchen for anything edible with sugar (ha, I love Little Debbie) and flopped on the couch to watch some TV.

Pretty much nothing was on, except some lame daytime Soap Opera, which involved some weirdo storyline that I didn't even want to bother with.

I sighed and hauled my lazy butt off the couch. I always felt like such a slouch and like one of those lazy, fat people who only watch TV and eat sugar after one of these episodes. But I supposed everyone needs a break from now and then.

I crouched down to the 'Movie Cupboard' where all of the DVDs were stocked, and filed through them.

The King and I, Men in Black, Sleepy Hollow, Forrest Gump, Pearl Harbor, Egypt: Secrets of the Tombs, Back to the Future, Memoirs of a Geisha, Wayne's World, Shrek, Phantom of the Opera…? Hang on… What's that doing there? I thought I killed all the copies?

I picked it up from the shelf and just stared at the cover. Damn did it make me think of things that I didn't want to remember. Don Juan, the Masquerade… and all of those average days of doing normal stuff. For that time period anyhow.

Almost robotically I popped the case open and put it in the DVD player and pushed play.

I retreated back to the couch and just stared at the screen, not really seeing the movie, but instead saw everything play out into my mind.

After about an hour of the replay, the masquerade began, I mentally saw the dance being played out. I still remembered every twist and turn of my body, and my muscled flexed at their cued times. And then, right on time, almost as if I was back in time, I felt my torso being held securely by strong arms.

My breath caught and I spun around, terrified.

No one was there. I had just been carried away by memories, and only imagined HIM being here.

I took a deep breath, and tried to refocus on the movie, and only the movie, but no matter how hard I tried to focus on the screen, I couldn't ever really see the actors. Instead I saw Christine, Meg, Madame Giry, Erik, and everyone else through my own eyes. The way I saw them.

Before my eyes was like my life flashing before me, and was now showing the Graveyard bit.

My arm tingled unpleasantly from where cold steel had once poked through, and my heart thudded with the realization of what scene would come up next. But even though I knew this I still couldn't take my eyes away from the screen.

The whole Don Juan scene fluttered past my eyes, and soon came the part I had been dreading…

After the whole 'Alice in Wonderland' bit.

I wanted to turn my head, to go back to watching the gaytarded soap opera, but my eyes were fixated on the television.

I felt myself nearly drowning, lying down on the rough bank of the lake of Evil, and then having to face the freaky tunnel, after which entering the room of terror.

The footsteps I heard inside my head made me want to scream, but for some reason my voice box didn't want to work.

My muscles tensed, and I almost felt myself being slung behind the low couch, and then the quiver in my stomach of having found out about Francois.

The skin on my neck crawled with the sensation of being fitted with a noose, and my windpipe seemed to contract as my painful death was repeated.

A salty tear made its way down my cheek, and soon more others followed suit.

I picked up the remote, my head suddenly cleared of the fog that had previously held my mind captive, and flipped the TV off.

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**A very cruddy chapter, but don't hate me for it. It's 2-something in the morning and I'm just KINDA tired. I haven't been up this late since… ok, Friday. But I got up early, so I'm about ready to fall asleep right now… **

**But pretty please review! **


	4. Flash To The All Knowing

**Poor Katey, forced to relive everything from her other life. The good, the bad, and the heart-breaking. **

**Well, dear faithful readers whom make me happy by reviewing, (at least I hope) I'm going to change up the story. **

**I'm going to write from a different POV! The 'All-knowing' POV, but from Paris, 1871! **

**(To WanderingTeen: I have you in here in another sort of small part, and you are listed as 'Hannah'. I WOULD use Amanda again, but it isn't exactly time period efficient.) **

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"But how could she be here? We all saw her; oh it's punishment for our sins!" Christine sobbed.

The solemn group around her nodded, but most looked as though they didn't want to believe her.

"We shouldn't have let her be Aminta." Isabelle said tearfully, recalling the stubborn look upon Fleur's face before she went on stage.

"What could we have done to stop her? She was bound and determined to take over the role." Said one of the chorus members, sighing.

"It's my entire fault!" Christine wailed for the thousandth time since… since the night of Don Juan.

"Christine, you were afraid, worse things could have happened if you went on." Said Meg, putting an arm around her best friend to try and comfort her.

"Fleur _died_, Meg. What could have been worse? Go ahead, tell us." Richard demanded, furious.

The group of actors and singers now all glared at Meg, daring her to come up with something worse than the death of an innocent girl.

"Well…" she began in a very small voice. "The Ghost could have brought down the chandelier again…"

"So?" said a few voices a once. "We could have prevented that." A chorus member said angrily.

"Then forget I said it. I was only trying to comfort Christine…" Meg said, feeling like a fool.

"Then choose your words carefully." Fredrikk spat at her.

Meg bowed her head, and didn't say a word.

"Poor girl…" said Hannah, one of the ballet girls, speaking of Fleur. "Did you see any of her family members at the funeral?"

"She didn't have a family." Christine responded, wiping her eye.

"She had us." Said Richard, and a few nodded. "And that beau… Francois I believe?" he added.

"The poor man. Did you see him? Sitting there, not shedding a tear because he was still in shock. I think he truly loved her, you know?" Hannah sighed.

"He planned to ask for her hand. He went and asked Madame Giry and everything." Christine affirmed.

The group was shocked to hear this. Poor Fleur Delacour; She had been robbed of love at such a young age, and by a madman far beneath the Opera House floors.

Groups of men had ventured below the ground to try and find the demon that took their friend, but found naught for their troubles.

They couldn't even find Fleur's body, and it was rumored to have been found in such a mangled form that it was beyond hope of 'fixing' before the funeral.

So her 'celebration of life' had taken place in the ballet practice room, as it was one of the only rooms big enough to fit all of the people at the Opera house, but without a casket with a body.

There was an alter with a painted portrait of Fleur, benches were brought in to seat all of Fleur's 'family', and black gauze draped from the ceiling to add a mournful look.

A priest was brought, and he read out the Catholic service, and afterward a beautifully made urn was taken to the graveyard and buried under a marker that read: 'Fleur Delacour – 1854 – 1871 – Of which the clearer was not known, her mind or her complexion. Such an everlasting grace, such a beatific face, Incloysters here this narrow floor, that posses all hearts before.'

"What happened to him?" Hannah asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

"I heard he took to the bottle." Said Isabelle in a hushed voice.

"I heard he drowned himself in the River Seine." Suggested a chorus member.

"No, I was told he hung himself." Fredrikk broke in.

Christine looked shocked at this news. She had clearly thought he simply left Paris out of grief, not hung himself, turned drunkard, or drown himself. ,

"Well wherever he is now, let us hope he is with Fleur, so they can finally be together." Christine declared, and stopped all talk of the death of their cherished Ballet girl and her lover.

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**Well aren't _they _ignorant? **


	5. I've Returned To Haunt You

**After watching (ok, not watching, but having to log into the chat rooms and having the guys there relay the info on the game back to me) I have seen the A's win four – zip! So, naturally I'm in good humor. **

**Meaning I'm updating! YAY! **

**To WanderingTeen: in all actuality some people _don't _cry at funerals. See, some people are so devastated that they're at loss for emotion. **

**PS: We're back to Katey's POV**

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I made my way back to my room and flopped down on my bed. I wished more than anything… for… oh God… what _did _I want? I knew I wanted something… but I couldn't place it.

All I knew was that my chest felt like it was contracting and I couldn't breathe. The altogether too familiar feeling of my throat contracting made this hurt worse, and I let out a sob.

I was really a quite depressing sight. I was laying face-down on my rumpled powder blue bed spread, which was deepening to a navy blue as my tears pooled on the sheet, crying for something I didn't even know about.

But I made no motion to change anything, and I felt only worse and worse as I cried harder.

'Why am I blubbering like this?' I thought miserably as I let out another sob.

I couldn't think of anything good to reply to myself, and so I lie there, slowly realizing that it wasn't all that fun to have to breathe through a thick, wet cotton blanket, seeing as you didn't get much ventilation.

At long last, I rolled over onto my back, and took deep breaths of the cold air, relishing the non-carbon dioxide atmosphere.

My eyes were swollen and puffy from the now stopped tears, and, like after every good crying jag, I felt tired.

Even though I really would like to skip waking up depressed after having gone back to Paris, I couldn't keep my heavy lids open.

I gave a great yawn, and, for the first time in ages, fell abruptly to sleep.

-

The smell of dampness was the first thing that aroused me. It wasn't the sea type of damp; it was a cave-ish type damp.

I turned my head, and regretted it quickly. Oh goodness gracious! It felt like I just smashed it into a freaking wall or something! But through my pain my nose picked up a different fragrance… like… man, what was it? It smelled distantly familiar… like… like…

I opened my eyes and had to resist screaming bloody murder.

I was back… back in… the room. The cave… the lair… the… the… whatever it was… but I was back.

It was a nightmare… it was impossible… but how? How in the name of Hades did I wind up HERE?

Why did I wind up back to the scene of my murder?

I slowly sat up, feeling light headed and terrified of what I would find. I had been sprawled out on the Oriental rug, right under the low leather couch, and from the position I had woken from, one could say I had fallen from my sitting position.

I felt around my neck, almost expecting to feel the coarse rope still choking my life away, but my fingers met bare skin.

My heard was thudding a mile a minute, and I was praying to the God who had ignored my plea once before to bless me with an empty chamber.

I peaked my head around the side of the couch, and then looked all around me to make sure that Francois wasn't there.

I let out a sigh of relief and sagged down on the couch.

My nerves were pretty much shot from being alert so often, and it felt good to just relax, if only for a moment, which is just what I had.

I had my eyes closed, I leaned back on the couch, hoping that I was completely alone, but I suppose the Man Upstairs decided to make things interesting, because the next moment…

"What the HELL?"

My heart stopped. My blood ran cold. My eyes flashed open and my heart started back up in a jerky beat as I saw the man who hated me, and I hated (right?), staring at me in disbelief.

"What the HELL? Why aren't you DEAD?" Francois shouted, his voice echoing through the cave.

I wanted to run for my life, to scream until my lungs burst, to do anything but be here in rigid horror.

My breath came ragged, and now my heart had gotten to a tempo so fast that I was sure it was going to shatter my breast bone.

We were still staring at each other in shock, or, in my case fear, and in his case, incredulity.

"Damn…" He muttered. And at this, for some reason, I got back my sense of speech.

"Surprised to see me?" I said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

YES! I had regained full use of my put-downs, scorn, mockery, and comebacks!

Francois game me an edgy look, as though to wonder why I wasn't trembling with fright. I used his unease as a crutch, and leaned back with ease into the couch.

"Why didn't you die?" He demanded, not at all happy that I was relaxed once more.

"Gee, wouldn't we all like to know!" I smiled. "Or," I added, putting a thoughtful look onto my face "Maybe I came back to avenge my death."

Francois chuckled. "And how, pray tell, do you figure upon this?"

"Hey, I've read my share of horror books involving particularly violent spirits come back to take revenge on the person that, basically, screwed them over and then killed them to add to personal injury."

"Ha, and I suppose you think you're that particular violent spirit, come back to haunt me and make my life Hell until the end of my days?"

"You know I'll do my very best to do exactly that." I smiled sweetly. There was a silence as he appraised me, to see if I was telling the truth.

"Remember those movies back home? You know, the ones where the used ex-girlfriend decides to come back and give the old boyfriend, whom she thought truly loved her, exactly what he deserves?"

Francois nodded slowly.

"Well I've decided to portray that role."

Francois laughed rudely.

"You actually believed that I loved you?"

His remark stung a little, but I only pursed my lips, hoping my emotions didn't show plainly on my face.

"Ah," he said, softening his voice a little, and approaching where I sat. "So you still have feelings for me, though I loathe you, and literally murdered you."

"No." I sniffed, unconvincing.

He laughed again, and louder.

"My, my, my… aren't teenage hormones fun?"

"I'll hate you until the day I die." I vowed spite in every syllable.

"Well that must explain why you still fawn after me, seeing as you _are _dead."

"Damn." I muttered, realizing my err.

Francois chortled and whispered "Young ladies shouldn't use such foul language."

His breath brushed against my neck, and sent shivers up and down my spine, making everything seem to swim… hang on… it's more than swim… more like, swirling clouds of black… Oh my god… I'm in a dryer with a load of black sheets!

-

I gasped and sat abruptly up, breathing hard. It was a dream, right? I really hoped it was just a dream… ok, maybe not… wait, what?

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**Also, late congrats to Barry Zito for his 1,000th strikeout! **

**Pretty please review, even though I know that none of you really care about the A's! **


	6. So We Meet Again

**Sorry for the wait… I started writing another chapter, then went off all A.D.D, and then when I came back to write some more I was like, Oh…my…God… this really sucks and has no point whatsoever. **

**So, I'm re-writing this! **

**So… we're gonna have a little time warp to a few weeks ahead… which is going to be… second semester in the school year! YAY! **

**Why? Because I said so and I have a good plot point. **

**And just so you know, I have the feeling that I'm going to be using an awful lot of time warps, so get used to it. Lol. **

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The dream that I had had with Francois had, thankfully, been the last one in almost a month, and I was glad.

Finals were just around the corner, and I was afraid that those stupid dreams would keep me from studying, but, I didn't have one at all.

Which I'm happy for.

So Christmas break was a whole lot more fun after the scores had been mailed (I passed, so ha!) along with the new schedules for the next semester.

It was pretty much the same classes, except now I had Leadership third period instead of Home Economics.

Even the name, leadership, sounded like a load of boring junk, and now, sitting here in the class, I guess I was right.

You could say that it was good for teaching morals and internal stamina, but that's a load of tosh. Leadership. Is. Pointless.

Although, I must say, it's almost as good as study hall.

Ms. Lay, the teacher, could really care less what we did, short of murder or drugs or talking too loud, but we pretty much had free reign, and could hang out with friends, or, in my case, do homework.

It really sucked, not having any friends in the best class ever, where you could just sit and talk all period, but no, all of my friends got landed in language classes where they were learning German or Polish or something, so I get to set here and do my homework.

Thrill of my life, let me tell you.

'The Green Union Army was under whose command for the first Battle of Bull Run?' I read off my U.S history paper, trying to remember… "Oh gosh, it was… McDuty? No… that's not it… McDougall? No… augh, what is it?" I muttered, rubbing my temple, trying to think of the name.

"I think the answer you're looking for is McDowell."

I jerked my head up and looked around me for the voice who had spoken. I looked up, and found the most beautiful brown eyes looking down at me.

"You're talking about the First Battle of Bull Run, right?" He said, gesturing down to my paper.

"Uh, yeah… how did you know?" I asked, stuttering to find words. Good lord Almighty! This guy was the hottest guy I'd ever seen! He had shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes, which were an amazing chocolate color, was well built and tall. Not super tall, but at least 6 foot. And all this I took in in just a second.

"You were talking to yourself, not exactly hard to pick up what you're working on." He smiled, before continuing. "You need some help with that?"

I looked back down to the page, which was mostly absent minded doodles, and looked back up, super grateful. Apparently not only was he gorgeous, he was smart!

"You better believe it!" I said, smiling back at him.

He sat down in the empty chair beside mine, and took the barely started paper from me, looking it over, and silent for a moment.

"The Battle of Dallas, Georgia was in Paulding County, not Fulton." He said, taking my pencil and re-writing my work.

"And the Battle of Fort DeRussy was commanded by Generals Smith and Mower, and Colonel Byrd, but other than that, you're all good, for the other two that you answered."

I smiled meekly. I sucked pretty bad at history, and had absolutely no memory at all for dead people who were supposed to be important.

"I guess you'll be wanting my help to finish?" He said, raising an eyebrow and smiling.

"Nah, I think I'll just do this on my own and get every single question wrong, except for those four." I said sarcastically.

So what do you think happened?

Yup, he helped me, and by the end of the period we were friends. And I think I MIGHT have had a teensy tiny minuscule itty-bitty wee little crush.

And I felt good until that night when I went to sleep.

My dream had started out perfectly normal, for dream standards anyway, but then things changed. They lost their fuzzy dream like look, and things cleared. It was like I had just taken Claritin or something.

Instead of being at some Chucky Cheese play place (hey, don't be laughing at my dreams) I was walking to an old fashioned oak door with a tarnished brass knob.

The McDonalds or whatever seemed to melt away, and now I was standing in total darkness besides a slit of light coming from under the door.

There was low talking, and then a sigh, but I couldn't make any of it out. I moved closer to the door, but the noise from inside stopped, except for the sounds of someone walking on stone, most likely pacing. And then more murmuring came from inside.

I leaned in and pressed my ear against the door, but could only heard little snatches of words such as… "Masquerade… just fine… idiot… she… forgive me?"

All of a sudden I recognized the voice and I felt like backing up and running straight back to Burger King to hang with the plastic tubes, but then I realized I had the advantage. I was the one who was the ghost. That fool couldn't hurt me now.

And I knew what I now had to do; it was high time to start antagonizing the man whom had broken my heart in two.

I opened the door with a bang. "Hello lover boy, miss me?" I said, sweeping into the room with a flourish, my eyes blinking furiously in the bright light that my eyes weren't used to yet.

Immediately after saying that my eyes focused, and I felt like biting my tongue in two.

I hadn't stepped into Francois's lair. No; instead I had stepped directly into Erik's place.

"Fleur?" Erik said, turning at the sound of my voice.

I bit my lip and mentally screamed 'IDIOT, IDIOT, IDIOT!'

"Uh, he-ey, Erik…" I said, faltering.

The surprise that had been in his eyes suddenly disappeared and he laughed.

"I knew you couldn't resist my charm, but, 'Lover-boy'?"

I rolled my eyes. What an idiot; I die and then make a mistake and all that he can do is make a joke about it?

"I thought you were someone else." I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Well I would hope so. I wouldn't want to be confused with that bizarre old lover of yours, although, that's already happened." He added bitterly.

I furrowed my brows at that last comment.

"What do you mean you've already been confused with Fran… with him?" I asked, skipping over His name. I didn't feel like mentioning it.

"Well, my dear," he started icily, and I could sense he was going to bring up Don Juan. "When you tricked me…"

'Ha, I was right.' I thought.

"…on the bridge when I found out you weren't Christine, I pulled a trap door on you, sending you down to the depths of the water trap where it was assumed you died upon impact with the ground at the end of the tunnel."

He paused before continuing with much hate in his voice.

"I had disappeared before they could shoot me, and so they came to the conclusion that I had murdered you by sending you down into the dark abyss.

"However, when they went down, they found naught but an empty water chamber. No body or bones or anything. Except, two petticoats that had come from your costume, leading them to believe that I had taken you and either killed you later, or had kidnapped you."

I opened my mouth to ask how he knew all of this, but he interrupted me before I could say a word.

"Madame Giry wouldn't speak to me; even she thought I had taken you, and so I found out from a discarded newspaper left in the streets. It had a full article and even an interview with your precious Francois."

I bowed my head and clenched my fist. Even the sounds of his name send my heart pounding. Although, with excitement or fear I have yet to discover.

Erik had noticed this and said with a note of, holy flock of brown chocolate milk cows, was that… pity…? "But I know the truth of how you died."

I jerked my head up. "How could he know?"

Almost as if reading my mind he answered "I know my way around this labyrinth quite well. As I was coming back here from the stage I came across that idiot's room, which I had already known about. Although, there was something different that usual. There was the normal one person, but there was something different about that one person.

"The individual draped out on the couch wearing the most peculiar clothes: woman's clothes; and not just any woman's clothes, but the very same costume that you had worn only half of an hour before."

I could picture the scene exactly, and it sent chills down my spine just thinking about it.

"Naturally I came to investigate, and what I found was quite odd. It wasn't the fact that you were dripping wet, no, it was the fact that around your next was a bright red stripe, with a rope-like pattern imprinted into your skin."

I involuntarily clutched my throat, and he smiled sadly.

"Of course a few other things were strange too. Like how there was really no sign of struggle anywhere, and the only other thing that was wet, besides you, was the couch. No drips on the floor or puddles anywhere."

"He could have straightened things up." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

But another thing was bothering me. Why would he bother to set me back on the couch and remove the noose?

Erik and I were silent for the moment before he began to speak.

"Do mind if I ask you something?"

"Have you cared to ask permission ever before?"

"No I guess I haven't… but seeing as you might haunt me forever if you were offended I thought I might as well."

I chuckled, wondering what he was going to ask.

"Fire away." I said.

"Where _were _you murdered thought? It would have been hard to hang someone who was lying down, and your arms were folded as though noting had happened."

I shut my eyes, and tried to fight off the instinct to let my eyes well up.

"Behind the couch. I had been hiding, and he came around. I had no other way to escape. So I just… let him… kill me." I uttered, choking at the memory of my murder. My chest tightened in that all too familiar way when I could see the scene replay in my minds eye.

I turned away from him, and finally let the tears fall.

"Fleur… what happened?" Erik asked quietly.

"I had just come out of the water trap and the lake, and I found that empty cavern. I looked around to see if there were any doors out, but there weren't. And then all of a sudden I heard someone coming, so I dove behind the couch, praying that it wasn't you or… someone else that would hurt me."

I heard Erik stifle a laugh as I mentioned him going to harm me, but I ignored it.

"So I crouched there, and then… the person started talking, and explained why he was going to kill me. And then he said… he said…" I stopped and felt my chest heave.

"What did he say?" Erik questioned softly, with no trace of laughter in his voice now.

"He said that 'Girls are so easy to charm when they're in love. And that's how I managed to corner you here.'"

I could only imagine what Erik looked like, but something told me it wasn't nice.

"And then, I realized it was… _him_, and then he just laughed and said 'Ah, love can be deceiving, can it not?'"

At the end of that sentence I couldn't suppress a loud sob from coming to my throat, and I sank to the floor, burying my face in my knees.

"And the shame of it all is the fact that he's the one getting all of the sympathy." Erik said, his voice sounding mad now.

"He spread a rumor that he had asked Madame Giry if he could have your hand, and who knows what else he's said. He's playing it off as though _I _was the one who killed you and making it sound like he's heart broken." Now Erik just sounded discussed at the mere thought of Francois.

"It isn't fair." I said mournfully.

"Nothing in life is fair."

**----------------------**

**Ah, one of life's most valuable lessons brought to you by Erik. **

**Review pretty please! **

**And for the last time, NO! KATEY AND ERIK AREN'T GOING TO HOOK UP!**


	7. Revenge of the Light Socket

**TIME WARP! **

**Now we're a little later on in the year. It's now February. **

**Now it's time to fill you in on a few things that'll come in handy in this chapter, and future ones. **

**The hot/ smart guy from last chapter's name is Ethan Moore. **

**Also, incase no one here's ever been in love before (gasp), when you are, you tend to be a bit of a klutz. **

**That's all! **

**------------------------------------**

It had been almost a month since I met Ethan, and I guess you could say that he was my best guy friend.

No, not a _boy_friend, a _guy_friend.

Get it right.

But gosh, I wish he was my boyfriend.

…

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

I did _not _just say that!

Think it.

Whatever.

Still though, I have to wonder this. How come when I come near him I get a little jittery and suddenly become klutzy.

And just recently, something weird happened.

We were in leadership, suddenly my favorite class, and I was walking to my desk with Ethan, when, I got distracted and tripped over a desk, falling flat on my back and all tangled up in the chair.

I tried to unwind my legs, but my jeans got stuck on a screw, and sent the whole thing crashing down on top of me.

"Ow!" I cried, trying to lift the desk off of myself.

Ethan couldn't hold back his laughter and burst out, reaching down for my hand to help me up.

"Oh ha, ha. Very funny; laughing at other people's… WOAH!" I yelled, falling backward again.

"What happened?" Ethan asked, his chest heaving now.

"My jeans…are…stuck!" I said, grunting as I tried to yank them off of the screw.

"Nice." He said, squatting down next to me.

"Just shut up and help me." I said, raising my eyebrow.

Ethan shook his head jokingly and fumbled at the cuffs of my jeans.

"Geez, woman, how did you get it stuck on here?" He asked, giving my pants another tug.

"Let me see." I said, slapping his hand away and taking my jeans into my own hands.

I wiggled it around a little, and it finally it popped free.

"See, you just have to wiggle it loose. Duh." I laughed, outstretching my hand for him to grab.

"Well, are you going to be chivalrous and help me up or what?"

"Nope." Ethan said, standing up and starting to walk away.

"Oh no you didn't just be rude." I said, in my best imitation of some high maintenance blonde.

I laughed and lunged out, grabbing at his hand. I put mine inside his, and right as I did, I immediately froze, and so did he, telling me I wasn't the only one who felt it.

It couldn't be though… it just… wasn't possible… just my imagination… I couldn't have felt that… that crazy 'I-just-stuck-my-finger-in-a-light-socket' sensation. The very same one I had felt with not so much Raoul, but with Francois when he touched me.

And when I felt that, it seemed that something bad would happen. He could either be in love with another girl, namely my best friend, (cough Raoul cough) or he could turn out to be some lunatic who's going to kill me. AHEM François AHEM.

I let go of his had quickly and pushed myself off the ground, dusting off.

"Oh ew, I'm all dirty! Honestly, don't they sweep the floors?" I squealed, twisting my neck so I could see my back.

Ethan laughed and righted the desk, saying "You're so high maintenance."

I smiled and tossed my hair, looking the Elle from 'Legally Blonde'.

"You're just jealous of my beauty, that's all."

"Thank God I'm not eating anything, I'd be choking."

"Aren't you bursting with kindness?"

"Oh, absolutely."

See? See? Tell me that wasn't weird! I managed to play it off like, you know, nothing happened, but I promise you I felt it!

But I don't know if I _want _to feel it.

I mean, you know what happened the last two times.

And then, of course to make matters worse, there were Clair's invitations.

She was having her annual theme party, and this year was a horror type party.

Meaning that we're going to be renting some of the scariest movies ever created, and were going to be having the time of our lives scaring the other girls.

But then I was confronted with these things.

One: her mom and dad were NOT going to be at the party, seeing as it wasn't going to be at her house. Instead we're going to be at her grandma's house that was built in 1903, (that is ever so slightly creepy) due to the fact that Clair had to house-sit while her grandma was in Europe.

Two: I find scary movies idiotic, and pointless.

And the absolute worst thing EVER:

Guys were coming.

As in, they too were sleeping over.

With us girls.

All alone in her grandma's house.

With no supervision.


	8. Scream From the Closet

**Welcome to part two of the epic battle of raging teen hormones! **

**Wait, we aren't there yet… **

**Whatever….**

**------------------------------------------------**

"Clair, wait… you mean… guys are going to be sleeping over… with us?" I asked, not believing what I had just heard.

"Uh yeah. Why, you going deaf?" she joked, punching my arm.

"No, it's just…does your mom and dad know?" I asked, betting that they didn't.

"Nope, and you aren't going to tell them, _right_?"

I sighed. How could I? She hadn't told on me when I had done stuff my parent's wouldn't approve of.

"No… but… well, who's coming over?"

"Uh, Amanda, Jenny, Kelee…" she counted off her fingers as she listed off names, and I punched her shoulder before she could finish.

"No you idiot, I mean what _guys _are coming?"

"OH! Well why didn't you say so?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Ok, well there's Kurt, Aaron, Zach, Brian, Brad and Ethan."

I admit it. It was the first time I had ever actually done this. I choked on my own spit.

"_Ethan_ is coming?" I asked, my mouth open.

"Uh, yeah. He's our friend, isn't he?" Clair said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah… but…"

"Oh God, what'd you do now?"

"Nothing… nothing… it's just that…"

I stopped, and Clair scrutinized me for a moment before smirking.

"Oh I get it."

"You get what?" I asked, not at all liking that grin.

"You like him don't you."

"WHAT? No! No, I don't like him! I mean, as a _friend_ but nothing else!"

"Yeah, ok, sure."

"I don't like him."

Clair sighed.

"Katey, whatever you do, don't go into acting. You are the worst liar I've ever seen."

For a second I felt like letting loose maniacal laughter. If only she knew…

"Which is exactly why I was in drama club, and got the leading role for 'Slay it with Music' last year."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; always have to bring that up, don't you?"

"Well why not? It's the start of my Broadway career."

"HAHAHA! You're joking, right?"

"Nope. You're going to see my name in lights one day. Besides, you're just mad because you got landed with "Vosemarie."

"Oh shut up. Besides, we're off subject. You like Ethan and you won't admit it."

Damn it. Right back where we began.

"No I don't."

"Whatever. We'll see tomorrow. In the mean time, we need to find out what movies we're going to put on, and what we can do to scare the pants off of everyone."

"How about I bake something?"

Clair clutched her heart in fake panic.

"We don't want to KILL them, do we?"

-

"Ok, so we have 'The Exorcist', the original 'Haunting', 'The Omen', 'Skeleton Key', and 'the Shining.'" Said Clair, listing off the DVD's in her hand.

"I've got the popcorn, cokes, candy and other sugar necessities." I said, holding up two grocery bags.

"Awesome. Here, take the movies and the junk into the kitchen and put it away and I'll go set up." Clair said, putting the movies in the bags.

"Will do, El Capitano." I said, doing my best to salute with my hands full.

To tell you the truth, I would have rather had Clair help me unpack, and we both get 'the room' ready.

Why?

Because… I was sort of afraid of her grandma's house.

I mean seriously! You would be too! It smelled weird, and there was all this antique furniture from when the house was built, and the windows didn't have curtains…

The place was scary, alright?

I know what you're thinking. Probably along the lines of "Nice, a sixteen year old girl is afraid of a house? And this is the chick that wasn't afraid to trick Erik, and be sarcastic in the face of death."

Well that was when I had an extra life, okay? Now, now I was all alone on the first floor of the creepy house.

Oh well. What can you do?

I shifted the bags so they didn't strain on my fingers so much, but it only made the weight worse.

"Ung!" I grunted as I lifted and dropped the groceries on the counter.

I took everything out of the Wal-Mart bag, and then crumpled the plastic up, chucking it in the trash.

Now on the counter were boxes of popcorn and miscellaneous candy, with two six packs of coke. Some teenagers would see this as a perfect opportunity to have a total kegger or a freaking orgy of drugs, but nope, not us good children!

We only have a slumber party with guys in attendance.

I sighed and tossed the cokes in the fridge, and shoved the treats in random cabinets, as to deter any pre-party scavengers.

I closed the last cabinet and looked back with pride. No one's going to find the Mike and Ike's from behind those prunes. Hah!

All of a sudden from somewhere behind me, I heard Clair scream.

During my stay in time in Paris I head learned to overcome my freeze instinct, and now only reacted. I dashed over to the cabinet counter and pulled open drawers, silverware and random cooking utensils clanking to the floor. Finally I yanked the right drawer open and seized the butcher knife.

I turned and sprinted as fast as I could over to the stairs and thudded up. The pounding of my feet matched the beat of my heart and I was afraid of what I would find.

I skidded to a stop on the landing, clutching my knife in my hand with white knuckles to find Clair standing in front of a closet door, leaning against it.

"Clair, what happened?" I asked, coming up, loosening my hold on the knife a little bit.

"Oh God, this old doll just surprised me… I thought it was a real person… It's cool now…" She said, breathing hard.

"Need some help putting stuff out?" I asked, my grip going slack on the knife.

"Uh yeah, there's more pillows in that room over there, and I'll get some blankets…" the sound of chimes came from below us. "Oh crap! They're already here? You want to go get them?" She asked, running over to the room where the blankets and pillows were.

"So I get crowd control tonight?" I asked, already going downstairs.

"You know it!" I heard from the depths of some room above me.

The doorbell rang again, his time repeatedly.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm coming, my God."

I opened the door, and found about ten people all standing on the porch waiting to be let in.

"What took so long, old lady?" Brad asked, already trying to force the door open.

"Well aren't Ya'll the ugliest girl scouts I've ever seen!" I said, laughing.

"Girl Scouts are over rated!" Amanda yelled.

"Okay, let's not get into that now…" Kelee said, knowing that Amanda had spent ten years in the girl scouts and had gotten nothing out of it. Since then she took every opportunity to bash that society.

"So are we sleeping on the porch or what?" Jenny asked, trying to not be so close to Abby without falling off the porch.

I sighed.

"Fine, gosh. Do I have to?"

"YES!" they all yelled, and I stepped back to let them in.


	9. Movie Night Part One

**Ok, so the last part of chapter 8 got sloppy, because I totally ran out of ideas. **

**Also, just so you don't get confused, there are 7 girls and 6 guys. **

**Girls: Kelee (pronounced Kelly), Amanda, Jenny, Abby, Christi, Clair and Katey. **

**Guys: Kurt, Aaron, Brian, Brad, Zach, Ethan. **

**So there we go, just so you don't go, 'wait, who's THAT?' **

**And, I haven't seen any of the mentioned movies except Skeleton Key, so I'm just going to be making up little random parts. **

**So if you see something that isn't right, don't correct me because I know that I'm wrong. **

**------------------------------------**

"Nice place. Definitely... what the Hell?" Brad swore loudly.

The group jumped.

"What?" Abby asked, as she was the nearest one.

"Katey, what's with the knife?" Brad said, pointing to the knife at my side.

Damn it. I hadn't any time to put it up before I had to get the door…

Everyone turned and looked at me.

"Clair started screaming her head off while I was down in the kitchen so I just grabbed this thing." I shrugged and went back to the kitchen to put the knife back, and found a huge mess on the floor.

In my panic I had thrown drawers across the room, scattering forks and spoons and whisks and whatever else all over the place.

I sighed, and bend over to pick everything up.

"Nice mess." I heard from the doorway, and my heart seemed to skip a beat.

I looked back up to find Ethan surveying the chaos on the floor.

"Tell me about it. I swear, the knives were in the last drawer I looked in." I said, resuming putting ladles back into their respective drawer. Or what I thought was their drawer.

"Maybe for her birthday they should get her a labeler." He said.

"That would help in emergencies. Wanna help?"

"Sure."

Ethan got down on his hands and knees beside me, gathering up the wares that were the most likely to go into the same drawer.

The room fell silent except for the sound of plastic and metal clanking against each other.

I stood up to put the Folgers Coffee can full of whisks back on the counter where I had accidentally knocked them off, but the next second I was flat on my back.

I had tried to stand on a measuring cut that slid out from under me, and it sent me slipping back into Ethan, where I fell over him, my limbs strewn at random.

"You just can't seem to stay coordinated can you?" Ethan laughed, helping me right my arms and legs and stand back up.

For a moment I debated blurting "hey, I was considered for lead dancer for 'Hannibal', but quickly stopped myself.

"Good thing I don't take ballet, or else I might wind up dead…" I smiled, while mentally barricading old memories.

Ethan looked like he wanted to say something, but we were interrupted by Christi.

"When you two stop flirting…" I blushed and looked down "We're ready to start the movies."

"So what are we watching first?" I asked as we went back up the stairs into the landing parlor.

"Skeleton Key, since it isn't that scary." She said, flopping down onto one of the delicately embroidered settees.

I felt like wincing at the sight of such delicate furniture being abused in such a way.

"Take a seat folks! We're starting!" Clair said from in front of the Television which was, in fact, one of the only new things in the whole house.

-After the Movie-

There was a weird silence as the credits started to role.

"Hang on…" Christi said, breaking the silence. "So… the evil people won? What kind of an ending is that?"

"Talk about sucky." Kurt added.

"Yeah, I thought that the good guys always won. Or is that just me?" Aaron said, sounding as confused as every one else.

"I thought that too… at least, that's how just about every movie I've seen ended; with the good dude winning." Zach said.

There was another silence.

"I'm gonna go get a coke, anyone want anything?" I said, starting to stand up.

Immediately everyone seemed to pounce, all asking for something different.

"Ack! One at a time people!" I said, waving for them to shut up. "Ok, so basically you're all saying that I'm going to wind up bringing everything I bought up here?"

"Pretty much." Amanda said seriously.

I laughed.

"Okay, okay. I'll bring it all up here." I shook my head, wishing that I didn't have to haul all that junk upstairs.

"Don't start the next movie without me!" I said as I descended.

"Don't worry, we will." Jenny shouted amongst laughter.

I felt my way along the walls downstairs. We had turned off all the lights to get more 'in the mood' and now the first floor was pitch black.

"Where the heck is the switch?" I asked myself softly.

I felt along the wall until I felt a door frame.

I ran my hand along the inside, leaning against it and trying to get my bearings.

"So I'm either at the kitchen, the bathroom, or any of the other million rooms down here. This just really narrows it all down." I thought sarcastically.

I started to move, but all of a sudden I felt a breeze go past me and then a sharp pain in my fingers.

I screamed and the chatter from the upstairs parlor stopped.

"Katey?" I heard from above.

I couldn't respond.

I felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me. And not just because of pain, but because I'd just witnessed a ghost.

Or something that could shut a door on my hand.

There came sounds of people coming down the stairs and suddenly a light clicked on, momentarily blinding me.

"Oh my God! Katey! Are you okay? Holy shit, you're hand is shut in the door!" Clair yelled, running over to me.

I was so scared that I couldn't even speak, but suddenly a new thought came to me.

How can I be afraid of ghosts if I AM one?

"Woman, you need to tell people where light switches are! I'm just feeling my way in the dark and then what happens? I get my hand shut in a door!" I said, immediately comforted by that new thought.

"I thought you knew where they were! Good Lord!" Clair said, opening the door, freeing my hand.

I flexed it, and thankfully, nothing was broken.

"Well, looks like I've got full use of my Metacarpals and Phalanges." I said, remembering the last science test we had over labeling all the bones of the human body

"Oh God! Not science!" Kurt cried, sinking to his knees.

We all laughed.

"So are you getting us those cokes or what?" Brad asked, leaning against Abby, who was much shorter than him.

"Off. Of. Me." She said, pushing him off.

"Don't think of anyone but yourselves do you?" I teased, heading across the downstairs to the kitchen.

"Nope!" Christi said, now leaning against Brad to annoy him.

"Hey, someone want to help me with all this? I don't know where the bags went!" I called, pulling popcorn and junk food out of the pantry and cabinets.

"Sheesh, if you have to be so whiny about it…" Jenny said, dragging Aaron after her.

I handed off random boxes to everyone, and sent them upstairs.

"Good-_ness_, I feel like a mother. I'm too young to feel like a mother!" I said as I was leaning into the fridge, grabbing a coke for myself out.

"And how, pray tell, do you feel like a mother."

For a brief second I considered Hari Kari, but realized it was Clair talking, and not the accustomed Erik.

"Well I'm just giving everyone a box or something and then sending them on their way! And an awful lot like mother hen too, I'll tell you that much."

Clair giggled.

"You, mother hen? I should think not."

"Whatever. I feel like one, so there. So what's up next on the movie list?" I asked, not really interested.

Like I said, scary movies were idiotic, and Clair knew perfectly well my standpoint on this.

"Like you care." She laughed. "You don't even get scared!"

"No, I do. It's just knowing to look away at the right moment." I admitted.

"Yeah, but then the guys don't get their ego trip!"

"Their what?" I said blankly.

"Ego trip, you know, to make them feel good about themselves."

"Wait, how does that work by being scared of an image on T.V?"

Clair sighed.

"When you 'get scared' you're supposed to cuddle up to them to make them think like they'll protect you from the T.V"

"Ah." I said, thinking. "Who am I supposed to cuddle up with though? I sit next to you and Amanda."

"Exactly." Clair said, and she walked away, leaving me completely lost.

I stood there for a second before I realized why I had come down to the kitchen in the first place.

I grabbed my coke and headed back up the stairs, making sure I knew where the switched were before I turned the off.

When I got back up to the landing there was an ever so slight problem.

All the girls were mingled around the guys, making no room for me to sit by them. And the only available spot was right next to Ethan.

'Clair,' I thought as I sat down 'one of these days you are going to die by my hand.'

"Okay guys, now we're going to watch…" Kelee dug in the pile of movies for a good one. "The Haunting!"

She shoved it in the DVD player and hit play.

-A little way into the movie-

I had to admit, the movie was a little bit scary, and there were some parts when I just had to gasp aloud with the other girls.

I was having fun though, talking to Ethan and Clair, who was sitting on my other side, through the whole movie so far.

At one really freaky part we girls all screamed. I screamed along with them and grabbed Clair out of fright while she did the same the exact same thing.

When our heads were still close together Clair whispered so low that I could barely hear her, "Next movie I'm not sitting over here, so then you have to be with Ethan."

We let go, and I sure wished that the movie would never end.

-After the movie-

"Well that was definitely better than the last one." Kurt said, shrugging.

"Well, it was creepy, that's for sure." Kelee said.

"NEXT MOVIE!" Brad yelled, startling Abby who was sitting next to him.

**-------------------------------------**

**Oh boy, sleepover romances! **

**Ok, that sounds very wrong, but what the hey. **

**More of me trying to know what's in movies I've never seen coming soon!**

**Please review!**


	10. Movie Night Part Two

**Oh boy! Continuing this little saga! **

**-------------------**

"Okay, how about… 'The Shining?'" Abby suggested, holding up the DVD.

"Sounds good to me." Brad said.

The rest of us nodded in agreement, but I was a little slow in the uptake.

I heard that the Shining was supposed to be really scary… not exactly the best movie _not_ to be scared.

As the opening credits rolled I wondered just what I was getting myself into.

-Random part in the movie I just made up-

Right as the guy jumped out of nowhere I screamed along with all the other girls.

We all knew it was coming, but still. You can't say that a dude jumping in screen from out of nowhere wasn't startling.

Almost unconsciously I had reached for the person closest to me to grab onto.

Who happened to be Ethan.

I grabbed onto his arm, and then slowly relaxed after a new scene, leaning into him.

On the T.V it all seemed calm for the moment, but the next second all of a sudden there was another camera twist and then behind the guy was two little girls who looked like they were decomposing.

I buried my head in Ethan's shoulder and let him wrap his arms around me.

I felt the weird explosion at the pit of my stomach and loved every moment of it.

-After the movie-

"So he just, like, died?" Zach asked, baffled by the ending.

"Obviously." Amanda said while stretching.

"I still don't get why he went psycho just because he used to live there." Brian said, sitting up.

"Yeah, I mean really." Aaron added.

"They've got a point." Christi said, rolling onto her side.

"Weird movie…" Brad said, shaking his head.

"Ow, hey, I don't know about ya'll, but I'm going to change into my pajama's." Clair said, stiffly getting up.

"I'm right behind you." I said, lifting my head off of Ethan.

"Ditto!" Kelee called, also getting up.

The rest of the girls all got up from the hard ground to go into the bedroom where all of our stuff was.

"So Katey, what was that little bit of cuddling I saw?" Christi teased.

"And you said you didn't want the guys over." Abby said, grinning.

"Yeah well I wouldn't be talking, Abby; we all know how much you _love _Brad." I retorted.

"Ooooooh!" the girls called, giggling.

"Abby's got a crush!" Jenny and Amanda yelled.

Abby grabbed her duffle bag and made a swing at their heads.

"Shut up you two!" She said, looking ready to make another attempted murder.

We all giggled again.

I shook my head at those idiots and went over to the corner where I had thrown my overnight bag.

There was a huge mound, but I quickly dismantled it, looking for my white one with the big Oakland Athletics logo on the front. But it wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Hey Clair," I asked over my shoulder "Have you seen my bag? It isn't over here."

She looked thoughtful for a moment.

"No… I haven't I thought it was over there."

Okaaaaaaaaay…

"Hey girls, have you seen my bag? You know, the A's one?" I asked to everyone, but they all shook their heads no.

"Oh great, no my bag is missing." I muttered to myself.

"Well, does anyone have anything I could borrow?" I asked. Almost instantly I wish I had kept my mouth shut.

Clair always had extra pj's, but the only bad thing was… it was a bit less than I was used to.

I just wore a nightgown, or basketball shorts and a big tee shirt, but Clair wore white camisoles and little cartoon pajama shorts.

Which is what she had for me.

A white camisole that was a little tight and some rubber ducky shorts.

Fun, fun, fun.

And then, oh gosh, seeing as I didn't have my bag, she just had to brush my hair out for me, which I really could have done on my own, seeing as all she did was put my hair up in a pony tail, but whatever.

"Her, grab a blanket and a pillow, I didn't have time to get the out, so yeah." Clair said, opening a wardrobe full of quilts and pillows.

I grabbed both and went back out into the parlor with the other girls.

The guys had evidently changed, and it wasn't much different from their regular wardrobe.

I plopped down next to Ethan, and bit my lip. I wasn't sure if he was just being nice because I didn't like scary movies… or if he actually… you know… liked me.

Clair came out of the room with a cloud of dust, exclaiming, "Okay, that is the _last _time I get my blanket last."

I laughed, and tugged on her faded quilt to get her to sit next to me.

"So what's up next?" Kelee asked, clearly ready for another movie.

"Um… the Omen." I said. Hopefully by the time we finished this one, everyone would be asleep and we wouldn't have to watch one of my most dreaded movies. The Exorcist.

-after the movie-

"What is it with movies having boring endings?" Christi yawned, clearly trying to stay awake.

"No idea." Zach said, propping himself up on his elbow.

"I think it's a gimmick." Abby said from next to Brad.

"Abby, I thought you fell asleep." Amanda said, surprised at seeing Abby up.

"Why'd you think that?" Clair asked most likely thinking of all the times Abby had squealed in terror at the scary parts.

"I don't know… maybe _I_ fell asleep." Amanda shrugged, lying back down on her pillow.

"So… Next movie or what?" Kurt asked, sitting up from where he had been lying like the guy who fell out the window when he landed.

"Absolutely!" Jenny yelled, evidently ready to have the pants scared off of her.

"Bring it!" Aaron said, laughing.

Abby crawled out from her blanket next to Brad and popped the DVD into the player and hit play.

I sighed and drew my knees up to my chest. I had the feeling I was going to be hiding my face an awful lot.

-Random made up part-

"She sounds like a screwed up vacuum." Jenny said calmly, commenting on the Emily girl being possessed.

I could only stare at her in wonder. How on earth could she just sit there like she sees that every day?

There was another particularly frightening close up on her face and I hid my face again in my knees, trying my best NOT to hear the crazy vacuum on T.V.

I felt warm arms wrap around me again, and I leaned back with my eyes closed, glad to be in Ethan's safe grasp.

-After the movie-

"And yet another stupid ending." Kurt said sleepily.

It was well past midnight, and already a few people were starting to fall asleep.

Like, Abby, Brad, Amanda, Christi, Jenny and Zach.

Clair flipped the television off, shaking her head at how stupid the endings all were. All the problems had been solved by just killing someone off.

"Idiotic." She said, lying back down next to me.

"You've got that right. They make it all scary in the beginning and middle, but the conclusion sucks worse than Aaron's mid term paper."

Everyone but Aaron laughed.

"But gosh, it isn't all that scary when you're watching the movie, but now after all of it, then you get scared. You know?" Kelee said, sounding very uncomfortable.

"Aw, does Kelee need two boys to go sleep over there?" I said, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

"Yeah, that wouldn't be so bad actually." She said, not sounding at all abashed.

"Okay, Aaron, Kurt, Ethan, Brian, which two are going over?" Clair said, making it sound like a game show.

You could hear the sound of something hard hitting something hollow.

"Hey Aaron, guess we better go over, seeing as we're closer." Kurt said, apparently nudging Aaron.

In the darkness two dark shapes stood up and stumblingly made their way over to Kelee.

"Feel better Kelee?" I asked, giggling at how she had actually invited two guys over.

"Yeah. Man, you shouldn't watch five scary movies in a row. It really messes with you…" she said, before she trailed off. There was a silence before Clair's "Guys? You awake over there?"

No answer.

"Nice. I guess it's just us four now. Right guys?" Clair said, nudging Brian.

"Brian?" She said again, this time louder.

"Nice, we've lost Brian." She said, failing to stifle a yawn herself.

We talked for a few minutes more before Clair fell quiet and would only mutter her replies under her breath.

There was another silence after I asked if she was awake.

"I guess it's just us two then." I said, turning to Ethan.

"Yeah."

"And really, how on Earth can they fall asleep after seeing _that_." I said, referring to The Exorcism.

I yawned, and my eyelids got heavy.

"I guess… this is how…" he said softly, and we had both fallen asleep.


	11. Nightmares

**Guess what I made! **

**I made a FORUM! Oh boy! So how's about you guys just mosey on over there and you know, write on it or whatever you're supposed to do, so I can see how it works. Lol. **

**Oh yes, by the way, here's my lovely little dream sequence… **

**Something tells me it's going to be good… **

**----------------------**

It seemed like I was just walking around in darkness. There was no ground below me, and nothing around me to feel my way.

And I pondered this; a horrific thought came to mind.

'Holy God! I'm blinded!'

All at once this thought was beat down with the sudden burst of light.

I blinked rapidly, trying to get my eyes to stop seeing those weird dots that always pop up when your light changes.

"Ah, Fleur, I was wondering when you would come back to me." Came a voice from somewhere behind me.

I felt a stab of annoyance rather than fear. I turned around calmly and folded my arms across my chest.

"Oh? And why is that?" I asked Francois, raising an eyebrow.

I was in the same place where I had died, and it looked exactly the same as I last remembered it.

Francois was sitting on the little sofa, his arms also crossed over his chest.

None of this seemed very unusual to me, but a glance down at myself startled me.

I wasn't in my pajamas, nor in the Don Juan get-up; instead I was in what appeared to be the latest fashion of hoop skirts.

It was a soft blue with green flowered print; with a low neckline the quite plainly revealed a little too much pale skin for my liking.

As bizarre as it was, though, it felt good to be back in a dress.

"Because, my dear. I knew that you couldn't stay with that idiot that you've taken a liking to from your time." He answered, cutting the synopsis of my attire short.

I felt a prickle of anger at his mention of Ethan.

"Jealous are we?" I said in a teasing tone, trying to sound offhanded.

Francois stayed silent for a moment, as if weighing his choices.

"You could say that." He finally replied.

Inside my mind it felt like an Atomic bomb went off.

WHAT!

Francois was… jealous? But… I thought that… he hated me! Enough to kill me! This was just some crazy whacked out dream; I knew it was… it was one of those weird times when you knew you were dreaming!

WHY CAN'T I WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE?

"Surprised, dear?" He said, getting up from the couch and approaching me.

"I… I thought that you… hated me!" I stuttered, trying to find the right words.

"Darling, mistakes can be forgiven…" He said silkily, coming up behind me and running his fingers over my shoulders lightly.

Goose bumps erupted all over me, and I felt that crazy spark thing.

"Not…death…" I uttered, my breathing coming faster.

Damn it! Don't tell me that I was being seduced by HIM… _again_!

"Please… I thought I knew what I wanted…" Francois said, kneeling down in front of me, grasping my hands.

My mind was seemingly blank, and my tongue moved by itself.

"Okay." I uttered.

Francois leapt up and drew me close to him.

"Fleur, we can make it like before… everything… I promise." He said, caressing my arms.

"Yes… please…" I whispered hoarsely, wishing he would kiss me again.

"Fleur, I love you. I love you more than anything in the world…" He said, turning me so my face rested on his chest.

"I love you." I said closing my eyes.

He pulled back and I opened my eyes again, wondering what happened.

When I looked into his face I saw one of the happiest expressions I've ever seen.

"Fleur…" He said softly, and he stooped a little.

The next second my eyes had closed and the pit of stomach erupted in fireworks.

The world around me seemed to be swaying and my lips were trembling. The only thing that I needed that very second was to feel his touch.

All of a sudden it felt like someone had slapped me.

I drew back and looked at him in horror.

What had I just done? Oh God… Oh God…

"Fleur, what's wrong?" He asked softly, walking back toward me.

I kept backing away until I felt my back press against the wall.

"Stay away from me… you … you…" I couldn't come up with anything bad enough to call him.

"Darling…" He started, reaching for my hand.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek.

"Stay away…" I whispered, stepping to the side.

Over Francois's shoulder the exit to the cavern room loomed menacingly. If I could just get over there…

He tried to come closer again but I side stepped him again, picking up my skirts and making a run for it.

I leapt over a low stool and shot out into the dark tunnel, now blinded by darkness.

Ahead of me was the lake, behind me was Francois and somewhere on the walls was the secret passage used by Erik.

I ran down the length of the tunnel, franticly feeling for anything on the wall, but as I was running I slipped on a puddle.

It felt almost like I had gone into the matrix or something. Time seemed to slow as I felt my body rocket around, skirts flying up.

I was coming back down when out of the corner of my eyes I saw Francois running toward me.

I felt like yelling, but in the next instant, I felt something hard collide with the side of my head, and the world around me seemed to slide out of focus before it went utterly dark.

**-------------------------------**

**Well isn't that just dandy. Francois is still in love with Katey. **

**Pretty please review! **


	12. Deux Explication

**End of dream! **

…

**Saying that makes you want to say **

**END OF DAYS**

**Hmmm… **

**Weird. **

**Anyway, continuing on. **

**------------------------------------------------------------**

My eyes shot open, almost unwillingly, because I was so afraid I was going to wake back in Paris.

All around me was darkness, with a few human like shapes strewn about on the ground. The familiar musty smell filled my nostrils as I breathed deep and long.

It was just a crazy dream. Nothing happened. You just had too many skittles and too much coke… that's all…

I closed my eyes and sighed. I was back at Clair's grandma's house and it was all good.

I shifted my position a little bit, but right as I moved my hip, I froze.

Holy Mary Mother of the Lord Jesus. There was something on my waist.

I looked back down, and then behind me, and immediately my heart started pounding.

Ethan was lying next to me, his arm draped around my waist.

At once my dream came back to me, and I shuddered at the memory of Him touching me.

As I shivered, Ethan's strong arm protectively pulled me closer to him so that I my back was pressed against his stomach.

My eyes closed, and I tried to relax.

I felt myself start to drift off, but all of a sudden a voice filled my ears.

"I'm going to kill him…"

I gasped out loud and sat up looking wildly around the room for the voice, my breath coming in little bursts as though I had just run three miles.

"Katey, what's wrong?" Ethan asked; now evidently awake from me jerking his arm.

I laid back down next to him and whispered "Damn movies."

I could see the vague outline of a smile on his face before he asked "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, yeah… stupid Clair for having a scary movie marathon." I added, smiling.

We were silent for a moment, and I looked over to make sure he was asleep again before I let myself tense up again.

There was absolutely no way I was going to go to sleep again. I wasn't going to risk going back to Francois's little lair.

I was going to keep my eyes wide open until dawn. Then I wouldn't have any problem staying awake.

But now, it seemed like the earlier terror of Francois was disappearing. Now images of the Exorcist were coming back to me, dancing in front of my eyes, almost daring me to freak out.

I shut my eyes tight, but that only seemed to make it worse. Now all the scary images I've ever seen or heard of were dancing in front of me, freaking me out.

I clenched my jaw, trying to keep back a whimper, but at the 'sight' of Emily doing that demented vacuum-like sound and having that seizure thing I couldn't keep it back.

I felt like smacking myself. I was acting like some wimp who was afraid of her own shadow, freaking out and crying over every little thing that gave me the jitters.

Next to me I felt Ethan shift, and his arm went around my waist, pulling me closer.

I leaned my head against his chest and closed my eyes, wondering why I couldn't just have a normal teenage life.

-

"You're back?"

I sighed and turned around, my skirts rustling.

"Yeah, rather un-willingly if I might say." I said, facing Erik.

He raised him eyebrow and motioned for me to sit on one of his couches.

"Why?"

I sat down, spreading my skirts out so they wouldn't wrinkle (as I had learned from when I lived here) and sighed again.

"I've been here already tonight. But I found myself in Francois's…"

"Cave." Erik finished for me.

"Yeah. Well, long story short, he proclaimed his love for me and… made his move." I shuddered, thinking of how I had wanted his touch, and practically pleaded for him to kiss me.

"So even though he tried to kill you he now evidently loves you?" Erik asked, totally bewildered.

"Precisely." I said, pursing my lips.

"Anything else happen?" He asked, and I knew what he was thinking. Erik wanted to know if Francois had tried to, um, grope around.

"No… but… he…augh, I can't explain it." I said raising my hand over my eyes.

"Try." He said, and I lowered my hand suspiciously.

I hadn't really noticed it until now… but… Erik was actually being nice to me; which is odd, because he should hate my guts right about now.

"Why on Earth are you being so… nice?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"Because, that idiot has been trying to 'make a move' on my Christine."

Ah. That certainly explains an awful lot.

"So you're trying to prove that he was the one who killed me so that Christine will forgive you and you two can live happily ever after?" I said, chuckling a little.

"Pretty much, yes. Now, as you were saying." Erik said, getting a businesslike tone.

I sighed. I would really rather not share the way I felt about Ethan to Erik, seeing as I haven't even told my friends yet.

"Well, I like this boy back in my time…" I started, but Erik cut me off.

"In your… time?" He asked, looking lost.

"Yes, my time. I'm from the future. 21st century America. My real name is Katey Anne Douglas and..." I told him everything about what happened, and I could see his eyes grow wide. I wasn't sure if he was amazed, or thought I was mad.

"And then I came back here, and at first I thought I was just dreaming, but it turns out that it's just an after affect or something." I said, finishing up my story.

"Now go on about that boy you started about." He said.

I took a deep breath.

"Well, right now in my world, I'm at my best friend Clair's at a sleep over with a big group of my friends, including guys." Seeing his shocked expression I hurriedly added "things are different in the future, that's considered acceptable."

He nodded, but I could tell that he didn't like the idea of the future one bit.

"So I fell asleep just a little bit ago, before I came here, and arrived in Francois's cave, where he said 'I knew that you couldn't stay with that idiot that you've taken a liking to from your time.' And then I asked if he was jealous, and he said yes, and then he seduced me.

"He tried to kiss me, but I realized what was going on, and so I tried to make a run for it but slipped and hit my head on a rock. And then I woke up back in my time, and convinced myself it was just a dream, but out of nowhere I heard Francois's voice say '"I'm going to kill him…" so I freaked out, but told myself that it was just my imagination, and then all of a sudden I sort of blacked out, and I came here."

I finished lamely, but Erik still had the astounded expression on his face.

"So he is still madly in love with you, and has threatened to murder that boy you love" I winced at him putting my feelings out so bold "out of jealousy?"

I nodded.

"You've got to go to the police."

My eyebrows shot up.

"You think they'll believe this?" I asked. I knew for a fact that the French police would be sure to send to me to an asylum.

"No, but we can have you say that you're someone else to get him put in jail."

"Ah, well, good luck with that." I said, standing up.

"But I can't do it, in case you haven't noticed. I'm a criminal who is wanted for your murder, remember?"

"Well too…" I broke off mid-word. I was hearing someone… talking… and it sounded like Clair!

My mind seemed to go distant, and my body went light, almost like it was disappearing.

"I'm waking up!" I gasped, and in the next moment, Erik's lair vanished and I was opening my eyes back in my time.

-

"See, I told you that they _loved _each other!" Amanda giggled from above me.

The sun was pouring through the big bay windows and the guys were crowded around me; and Ethan too for that matter.

Ethan had been lying on his back, while I had lain on my side with my head rested on his chest and his arm around me as though clutching me to him.

We had sat up quickly and scooted apart, me blushing a furious red and him nervously laughing.

Clair came over to me and grabbed me by my arm, dragging me off to her room while the other girls followed.

She shut the door and locked it, and then spun around to face me.

"Alright, lover-girl, explain." She said, while the rest of the girls raised eyebrows, crossed their arms, or laughed; a few doing all three at once.

"Um… it's nothing...?" I said, sitting down on the old bed and drawing my knees up to my chest.

"Yeah well that didn't look like nothing to me." Jenny said, causing the girls to laugh out loud.

"Yeah, what happened?" Abby demanded, sitting down next to me.

"Nothing happened…" I began but they wouldn't take that answer.

"That wasn't nothing, you nerd, that was _something_." Kelee said.

"Tell us everything!" Christi said, tugging on my arm.

"Yeah!" A few girls said together.

"Well… nothing really happened! After the Exorcist we all just, fell asleep, but then I had a nightmare, and woke up freaking out, and he just sort of calmed me down…" I was interrupted by Clair.

"What did he do? Kiss you?"

The room exploded with laughter.

"What? No!" I said, shaking my head.

"Then what'd he do?" Amanda asked.

"Well, he just asked me what was wrong, and then…"

"_Then _he made out with you!"

"What on Earth is it with you people and me kissing someone!" I demanded, silencing the newly erupted laughter.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Well…" Clair said after a moment or two. "You've only been on a few dates, and you've never kissed a guy before… so you know."

I paused, and the door in the back of my mind flew open in a collage of all the times Francois had kissed me, including the one last night.

"So?" I said, pushing the memories back. "It'll happen when it happens, and not any sooner."

"Well still, you can't blame a girl for trying." Jenny shrugged and we all laughed.


	13. Matchmaker

**So the last chapter was really sloppy, I'm sorry, I kept having to stop and then get up and do chores, write, stop, go clean my room, write, vacuum my room, ect. **

**And yes, when I was vacuuming I thought of the Exorcist. **

**---------------------------**

Everyone had gone home after the whole fiasco of trying to figure out what happened last night between Ethan and I, so now it was just Clair and I left in the house.

"So… you like Ethan I guess?" Clair said as she folded up a blanket.

I stayed quiet. I did, but I didn't want to admit it. Although, I already did to Erik, so I guess it wouldn't matter… but…

"Well? It's a yes or no answer, hun." She said, tossing the folded blanket onto the settee.

"I guess so."

Clair paused before yelling, "I KNEW IT!"

"What? How? Was it that obvious?"

"Well, kind of."

"How though?"

"Well… the way you reacted when I said he was going to be here. How you always sit by him. You always get all clumsy around him, during the movies you two were cuddling, and the biggest, and most obvious; how you woke up this morning." She finished triumphantly.

I remained silent, but fluffed the pillows with a little more force than necessary.

"Exactly. And, you know what is coming up this coming week?" She said as though she was talking to kindergarteners.

"A school week?"

'Correct, but do you know what _social _event is coming up next week?" She asked sweetly.

It took me a moment to understand what she meant. And then it hit me.

The Valentines Dance.

"Oh my God, Clair, no. I know what's going on in that twisted mind, and I do _not _like it one bit." I said, turning away from the pile of pillows.

Clair was just smiling to herself while folding up another blanket.

"Clair, _please_ don't tell me you're going to make me ask out Ethan." I pleaded, crawling to her on my knees and my hands clasped.

"Hey, I'm not making you ask him out! I'm not that mean! Okay, well maybe sometimes, but not now I'm not!"

I sat back on my heels.

"But I'm going to have Ethan ask you."

"CLAIR!" I shouted, leaping up "That's hardly any better!"

"Well I bet you he likes you too! I mean, you don't let a girl sleep practically on you if you don't like her! And besides, when you got your hand slammed in the door, he was one of the first people down the stairs. And when you made a mess of Gram's kitchen, he helped you pick up."

I guess she had a point.

"You know, if it wasn't Sunday I would have another sleep over tonight." She said after a minute.

"Let me guess, another scary movie marathon?" I asked, picking up the pillows.

"Of course!" She said, picking up the blankets and shoving then in the wardrobe before I put the pillows in "How else could I hook up Brad and Abby?"

"Brad and Abby? They hate each other! Well, they don't hate each other, but Abby doesn't like Brad, and he annoys her all the time."

"Yeah, but did you notice how Abby voluntarily slept next to him, and was pretty much _always_ by his side?"

"I guess you're right…" I said slowly, realizing what she said was true.

"Hey, want to go to mall?" Clair asked, evidently eager to get out of the house.

"Nah, I have to be home soon anyway." I said, remembering I was supposed to home before noon.

"Eh, might as well drive you home." She said, grabbing her keys from the nightstand.

Clair had gotten her license in January and loved driving everyone around.

"Oh boy… not you driving…" I said, laughing.

"Yes me driving, at least until you get a car. Then _you_ can drive me everywhere."

I had my license already, but I was still saving up for that awesome '67 Mustang.

The drive home was tedious as usual, seeing as Clair just loved to make everyone nervous, and when I got out I was glad to be on solid ground.

"Don't kill yourself, okay?" I called after her as she peeled out of my driveway.

**-Mini time warp to Friday at school-**

All week Clair had been talking to Ethan about asking me to the dance, but she tried to keep it secret from me.

Hah, like that would ever happen.

The whole group of us that was at the party Saturday night all knew that Clair was trying to make Ethan ask me to the dance, so of course everyone had to tell me all about it.

And it made third period just a little bit awkward, you know.

And now, with only one block to go until the end of school, I was starting to wonder if he was going to ask me.

I had carefully watched the clock all class period, minutes ticked by, but now I suppose I was just going to have to go with… Oh gosh, who _would _I go with? All my friends got dates except me.

As the bell rang everyone made a mad dash to their seats to get their junk to head to last period, and I joined them, but not exactly hurrying.

I slung my bag onto my shoulder and called back to Ethan.

"Hey, I'll see you later at the dance!"

"Hey, wait, I need to ask you something." He said, grabbing my hand, which did that weird tingly thing all over again.

"Make it fast; my History class is on the other side of the school." I said, pretending like I didn't know what I was hoping he was going to ask.

He shook his head and smiled, looking down at the floor.

There was an awkward silence.

"Well? Hurry it up, Skippy." I said, putting my hands on my hips.

I felt like slamming my head against the wall. 'Skippy'? What the heck is that all about?

"You want to go to the dance with me?" he asked, saying it quickly.

I hesitated for only a second.

"Sure!"

"I'll pick you up at seven, alright?"

"Okay, see you then." I smiled and left for history, all the while feeling ridiculously happy and wondering what I was going to wear.

-

"He finally asked you? Sheesh, I've only been prodding him to do it all week…" Clair said after school driving home.

With her mentioning this, I felt my heart sink. I had forgotten about her persuading him, and he probably only asked me just to shut Clair up. Because we all knew if he hadn't done it he would hear about it 'til the day he died.

"What should I wear though? It's casual, right?"

"You didn't hear what the theme was?" Clair said, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Uh, no. I thought it was going to be casual."

"Good Lord no; it's a masquerade."

My blood ran cold. It just _had_ to be a masquerade, didn't it?

"Oh, cool." I said, successfully pulling off sounding normal.

"Hey, see you later!" She said pulling up to my house as I got out.

-

I had the entire contents of my closet and dresser strewn all across my room. The back of my desk chair looked like it had a crazy blanket like thing draped over it; the floor had piles of miscellaneous articles of clothing spread everywhere; and the poor bed couldn't even be seen. It was just a giant pile of clothes.

And still, I couldn't find anything to wear.

"Whoa, honey, having a little trouble finding something to wear?" My mom asked, coming into my room.

"Yeah; the stupid masquerade dance is tonight and I can't find anything good enough." I said, flopping down on my bed.

Mom looked thoughtful for a minute before saying, "I think I might have something that's your size… give me a second to find it…" and with that she left, most likely going to the attic.

A few minutes later she came back in carrying two dress boxes and a shoe box.

"Here, take a look." She said, handing the boxes to me.

I set them on the ground that wasn't coated in clothes and gasped when I opened them.

It was the complete ballet costume from Les Sylphides.

"Oh, mom! Where'd you get this from?" I asked, holding up the costume.

"Your Grandmother was in it when she was younger. Try it on; I think it'll fit you." She said, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.

I took off my clothes and put on the outfit, relishing the feel of ballet clothes. Even the tights fit me perfectly, but I just needed the finishing touch…

I reached into the shoe box and pulled out the ballet slippers to match.

They were white satin and still in good shape, and were the same size as my feet.

I stood up from where I was sitting and felt an odd rush of nostalgia.

I stood on toe and extended my back leg, stretching.

"Need any help with the shoes?" My mom called from outside.

"Oh, no, I've got them!" I said. I quickly out of the stretch and opening the door to let mom in.

"Oh wow sweetheart! You look beautiful! Now let me fix up your hair and get some make-up on you." She said, leading me to her bathroom.

-

Thirty minutes later I came out of that bathroom looking like I was ready to go onstage and perform.

"Katey, you look amazing! Now here, let me get you a bag to put some touch-up stuff in…" mom said, going back into her bathroom.

I was bewildered. My mom was acting super-super nice all of a sudden! Normally she would have been all, "Just pick something and clean up your room!" but now she was offering Grandma's ballet costume and doing my hair and make-up… it was very strange.

"Here you go sweet." She said, handing me a small purse that held make-up, hair things, a mini brush and a mirror.

Out in the living room there was a knock on the front door, and I felt my insides squirm.

It was time to go!

"I'll get it mom, it's probably for me." I said, already opening the door.

"Hey Ethan!" I said, greeting my date who was dressed in what appeared to be an old Halloween costume.

"Wow, Katey… you look…" he started, evidently liking my costume.

"Amazing, yeah, my mother's already informed me of it." I said, laughing. "So what exactly are you supposed to be?" I asked, eyeing the bright orange jump suit.

"An escaped patient from a mental hospital." He said casually.

"Wait, I thought this was a costume dance." I said seriously.

"Oh ha, ha, very funny." He said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, should we go?"

"Yeah, hang on; let me go tell my mom." I said, and went back to my mom's room.

"Hey, mother-dearest! I'm going now, okay? I'll be back at, like, eleven!" I called into the bathroom door.

"Alright, bye honey, have a good time. And remember, if you ruin the costume you're dead." She called from inside.

"I'll do my best to remember that."

I came back to the door and said simply "Let's roll."

**----------------------------------**

**Oh boy, a masquerade in a ballet costume? **

**I think I smell foreshadowing! **

**Either that or it's just the glade plug-in in the corner of the room. **

**Who knows? **

**Please review!**


	14. Show Off

**Note: if anyone wants to know what Katey's costume looks like, click the link below. Or if it won't click, copy and paste it.**

**http/cvanover. what it looks like, except made for a sixteen year old, not a thirteen year old. **

**So anyhow, that's that… **

**And continuing on! **

**Now we're at the dance…**

**----------------------------------------------------**

I walked into the gym where the dance was completely nervous. I felt like I stood out so much in my costume.

Clair and the rest of the girls were already there, and when they saw us come in they immediately ran over to me, squealing.

"Oh my God Katey, your costume! Where'd you get it?"

"Is that real lace?"

"You look so beautiful! I love your hair and make-up!"

And, well, you get the point.

I laughed and told them about how I found this.

"Well, geez! I with I had a grandma that did professional ballet!" Jenny said, fingering her Renaissance bar wench costume sadly.

"Don't we all?" Asked Amanda, laughing about her crazy '70s outfit that was complete with platform shoes that were eight inches high or so.

"Eh, mine's cool." Kelee said, pointing to her costume.

It was basically a washing machine box that had holes for her arms, head and legs, and it wasn't even decorated.

I couldn't help but laugh openly. "How long did it take to make it?"

"Maybe ten, fifteen minutes. All you have to do is go down to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for a washing machine or dishwasher box, and usually they'll give it to you for free."

I had to admit, it was pretty cool.

Christi had shown up as a nerd, wearing a blouse with a pocket protector and about 50 pens all sticking out, huge, thick glasses and this horrible orange plaid skirt with her track shoes.

Abby wore her mom's old prom dress from 1985 and had made herself a great 80's fashion plate with her mismatch colored jewelry and big hair.

And Clair had one of our old play costumes on. It was the one where she had been the drunken crazy saloon girl who falls for the wealthy, noble guy, so she has to shape up to win his love. It was a pointless story, but Clair made an awesome drunk, just as she did now.

She had the hair and make-up down to perfection, and looked even better than she had in the play.

The guys on the other hand…

They were all wearing the same thing. The crazy looking orange jumpsuits, with a made up asylum name on the front, and on the back the letters "psycho ward" and then different combinations of numbers.

"Don't tell me," I said, motioning to the guys "that they all planed wearing the same thing?"

"Nope, they apparently all got together and made those. What originality." Clair said, crossing her arms.

-Later on at the dance-

"Look at that outfit, hah, betcha she can't dance worth a crap."

I whipped my head back around to see who had said that. It had been the third time someone had commented on me 'not being able to dance ballet' and I was starting to tick me off. It had either been a guy wearing a toga or the guy next to him with the 'Scream' mask.

I was about to go over and say that I very well could dance, but I didn't need to, because the guy in the toga was approaching me.

"Hey, David over there betted me that you couldn't dance…" he started, but I stopped him by holding up my hands.

"If I couldn't do ballet, then why would I be wearing my ballet outfit?" I asked angrily.

"Because you could have rented it or borrowed it." He said as if stating the obvious.

"Well this is my dance outfit, and I _can _do ballet, so you can just tell your little friend over there that I can."

"Well if you're so sure of yourself why don't you show us?" He asked, sounding sure that I wouldn't oblige.

There was a moment's pause before…

"Fine; I will." I said, and tossed my hair.

Unbeknownst to me, there had been a little crowd growing, and right as I had said 'fine' they all backed up, giving me room to perform.

I knew that it was stupid to try and do anything, seeing as I hadn't warmed up, or even danced in months, but I was angry, and didn't care about that.

In my mind I reviewed the dances I knew, and decided to go with the one that would really show them… the ballet from act three of 'Il Muto'.

I stretched my arms and legs a little first, and then went to the beginning position.

Mentally I imagined the music playing around me, and I started to dance.

It felt so good to actually perform in the appropriate costume and slippers, and for all of my (most likely) years I hadn't done Il Muto, I was doing it perfect.

A few minutes later, the grand finale played in my mind, and I finished off the Fouetté with a great bow.

I heard applause around me, and I looked up to see that nearly all of the kids in the gym had been watching me dance.

I blushed and looked down, but I couldn't keep back a smile.

I had showed that David and the toga guy that I could seriously kick butt in dancing, and had proved that I wasn't really a klutz after all.

"Katey, where did you learn all _that_?" Clair asked, coming up next to me and hugging me.

"Um, I got the first part from Il Muto and the rest I made up." I said, fibbing on the last bit.

"Good Lord, girl! I didn't know you could dance!" Amanda said, also coming up to me.

"Yeah, how could you keep all that talent to yourself?"

"We need to get you to a dance studio, or better yet, a real ballet show!"

"I wish I had some flowers to throw at you!"

"There's some in the flower beds out front."

"Okay, Katey, you stay right there, I'll be right back."

"Kelee you idiot, don't go stealing the flowers from out front." I laughed, pulling on her box.

The complements went on for a while, and I enjoyed them. In Paris I hadn't been complemented like this at all. Just the occasional "nice foot-work" from Madame Giry, and this felt like I had just won a big competition.

After a bit, it seemed like the heater had been turned on, because I was positively burning up.

"Hey, guys, its way hot in here; I'm going to go outside for a sec, okay?" I said, fanning myself off with my hand.

It seemed like a zillion degrees inside, and I needed to get some fresh air to cool down.

I pushed open the gym door walked through the deserted lobby and out the doors to the side of the school.

The cold night air sent goose bumps over my skin, but it felt good compared to that oven of a gym.

I leaned against the brick wall next to me and closed my eyes, thinking about Ethan, and what he thought of me dancing.

All of a sudden I felt rough hands grab me, pulling me off the wall.

My eyes snapped open, and I found myself being pulled along by the wrist by some strange man who was twice my size.

I screamed and kicked at him, but he simply yanked harder and put a hand over my mouth.

I tried to bite, but he acted as though he didn't feel a thing.

He gave another hard yank as I tried to dig my foot into the ground, but the force of him heaving me sent me falling to the ground on my stomach.

He dragged me over to a side of the school where we were hidden from view of the street, and he shoved a gag in my mouth, and started tying my hands. I wiggled and squirmed, but the man kneed me hard in the stomach, making me stop moving as he tied my arms and legs.

After I was bound he stood up straight and seemed to look me over from head to toe.

And then I knew what he was going to do.

I struggled even more at my ropes as he kneeled next to me reaching out toward me, but I couldn't get out of the situation.

I felt his hands go to my back and un-button the back of my costume, and then slipping the sleeves off my shoulders.

I gave a wild jerk as he moved his hand toward my chest, but he held me down with one hand and groped me with the other.

If I hadn't been gagged I would have let out a cross between a sob and a scream, but all that came out was "MMMMHPH!"

"Heh, heh, heh." The man said, grinning up at me "You like that, don't you, girl?"

I wanted to wail in protest but in that instant his hand moved drastically south and under my tights and underwear.

I couldn't even make a sound my throat was so constricted with terror.

I prayed frantically, saying only the same this over and in my head; "help! Please let someone see! PLEASE HELP ME!"

And right as the man's hand had reached his aim, I heard a voice, and it was like the angel Gabriel.

"Katey? Katey, are you out here?"

The man stopped suddenly and I took my opportunity.

I kicked my bound legs against the hollow transformer, and it made a muffled bang. Before the man could react I kicked out again, and harder. The bang was a little louder, and now the person calling my name knew I was over here.

I heard their footsteps run over towards us, and then come around the transformer.

Ethan stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of me, naked to the waist, and the nameless guy who was just sitting there grinning.

"Want to have a go?" he cackled, but the next moment his face had gone slack due to a well aimed kick to the head.

The man fell backward, but the moment after sat he back up with a little blood trickling down the side of his face.

He leapt at Ethan, and collided with him, making Ethan stumble back.

"You interrupted me, son, and I intend to finish what I started!" the man growled, and made a jab at him.

Ethan side-stepped him, and returned the punch, hitting the man square in the jaw.

The man stepped back, tripped over my legs and came down hard on my chest, crushing me underneath his weight. I let out a muffled scream and jerked around, trying to get his off of me.

He slowly got up and advanced back toward Ethan, looking deadly.

The man faked him out by making it look like a leaping attack, but at the last second kicked the back of Ethan's legs, bringing him to his knees. Before Ethan could react, the man kneed him upside the head so that he fell over.

I gasped, and prayed with all my might that he would get up, but no such luck.

The man watched Ethan for a second, and then came back over to me.

"Looks like he's going to miss out…" and he unzipped his jeans, making my heart stop.

I clenched my eyes shut, not willing to see anything, but the next moment there was the sound of something hitting another something, and then a thud.

I opened my eyes and saw the man lying unmoving on the grass beside me, and Ethan standing above him with one of the mortar rocks, breathing hard.

He stared at the man for a moment, to make sure he didn't get up, and then came over to me.

"Katey, are you alright? Did he do anything more to you than…" He asked, untying my gag.

"No, he just… touched." I admitted, ashamedly staring down at the ground as he untied my arms and then legs.

I pulled my costume back on right before I let myself cry.

Ethan knelt down beside me to hug me, but I backed away. I didn't want anyone touching me… not now… not ever again…

I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged my legs close, wanting to never come here again… not wanting to see any male ever again…

Ethan backed off, looking completely helpless before he muttered, "I'm going to get Clair…" but I cut him off by sobbing "No! Don't leave me alone with… with …"

Ethan got what I meant and stayed, but only by the man, kicking him hard every few moments.


	15. Cornered

Even though I was terrified of the spot behind the school, I couldn't make my muscles move to get away from the same spot I had been found in.

Ethan had stopped kicking the man a little while ago, and now just sat off to the side of him, glaring at the body.

There was a deadly quiet silence that was broken only by my occasional broken sob.

I had calmed down a little, and kept my head rested on my knees, trying to forget the sensation of those hands on my body, just roaming freely…

There was a groan from the body on the ground.

I leapt up from where I was sitting and scrambled behind the transformer, feeling my heart beat faster, pumping cold blood.

Ethan looked over at me and mouthed "Stay hidden". I nodded and backed out of sight, trying to keep my breathing from coming in loud gasps.

"My head…" came a rough and shaky voice.

"You alright, pal?" came Ethan.

Pal? What the hell was he thinking?

I peaked around the side, where Ethan was mouthing franticly "Just go with it". I went back behind, sitting in my accustomed fetal position, and listened, trying to convince myself that I was safe for the moment.

"Man, some asshole came and… Holy shit! Why are tryin' tuh help me when just a minute before you wanted me dead?"

"Instinct. That was before I saw who that bitch was. Turns out that was my ex. If I had known I would've let you be."

Ethan calling me a bitch felt like a blow to the face, and it hurt, even though I knew that he was lying.

"Well where'd she go? I need to finish 'er off."

"I took over after I realized who she was, and she managed to escape when I had my back turned."

I shuddered to think what he meant by 'took over'

"Lemme guess, virgin?"

"Yeah, she wouldn't let me touch her when we were goin' out."

"I see why you dumped her; damn whore who don't want tuh have a good fuckin'."

I squirmed uncomfortably at the thought of what would have happened if Ethan hadn't come.

"You're telling me… So how'd you get her?"

"Well," the man seemed completely comfortable now, and was evidently warming up to the fake Ethan "I waited outside the doors for a while, waiting for some girl to come out, and then that chick in the tutu comes out all hot an' bothered, and I drug 'er over here; and lemme tell you, she put up a good fight 'fore I got 'er in the stomach tuh stop movin', and started out by feelin' around, you know?

"An', man, you shoulda seen the look in 'er eyes when I went under 'er skirt…"

There was a sickening thud from where the voices had been.

Ethan walked out from behind the transformer with his fists clenched so tight his knuckles were white.

"Katey, I'm sorry you had to hear that…" He said softly.

I closed my eyes and looked down at the ground, yet again trying to force away the feeling of those rough hands wandering south of my naval.

I looked back up with tears in my eyes, and screamed, flinging myself back.

The man was right behind Ethan, looking murderous.

Before Ethan could turn, the man slammed him against the transformer, knocking him out.

"We have some unfinished business, ho."

I crawled backwards until I felt brick behind me.

Damn transformer place… only about seven by seven feet…

He lunged at me, grabbing my arm.

"Let me go! Let me GO!" I yelled, trying to pull my arm away.

"You're not getting away from me this time!" He grunted.

He roughly pulled off my costume, flinging it away from me; exposing me to the night air again, and began undoing his jeans.

While he was working on his pants, and jerked myself away from him, falling flat on my stomach on the dewy grass.

I jumped up and started to run, but the man caught me around my waist, pulling me to the ground.

He straddled my arms to my sides, keeping me down while he fumbled with his zipper, trying to hold me down with one hand and undo himself with the other.

I twisted my head to where Ethan was lying immobile on the ground, and got the unmistakable feeling of déjà vu.

I had been in this situation before; in Paris, when Fredrick was attacking me for the second time…

I set my jaw and grunted as I kicked my knee up to the seam of the man's pants.

The kick had the desired effect, and he fell back, clutching himself in pain.

I sat up over him and punched him in the jaw hard, and he moaned in pain again, trying to get back up.

I leapt to my feet and kicked him as hard as I could win the ribs, arms and middle of his legs as many times I could.

"It's not your night." I said, standing over him menacingly.

He reached out a hand and made a grab for my legs, but I was too quick for him; I dodged his arm and stomped on it.

"Say goodnight, bastard." I said before I gave his head a hard kick, knocking him out.

I stepped back, observed his already bruised and slightly bloody body, and gave him another kick just to make sure before I hurried over to Ethan.

"Ethan, Ethan, wake up! Wake up!" I said, shaking his shoulders.

His eyes slowly opened, "Katey?" he asked dimly, and them his eyes widened.

"Katey!" He glanced down from my face, and immediately jerked his eyes back up.

I gasped. I didn't have me costume on!

I flung my arms over myself and sprinted to where it was lying abandoned in the grass, pulling it on as fast as I could.

I flushed red when I came back to Ethan, still covering myself with my arms.

I looked down to the ground, unwilling to meet Ethan's eyes.

Oh God, Ethan saw me practically naked _twice_ tonight.

"Uh," Ethan's voice was husky, and he cleared his throat before continuing "So, are you alright?"

All of a sudden there was the sound of doors banging open, and I heard Clair's voice.

"Hey, love sick puppies, where'd you sneak off to?"

I looked up at Ethan with a panicked expression. "Don't tell, please!" I whispered. I glanced back to make sure that the body couldn't be seen, and then back at Ethan who said "Okay, I won't." softly.

"Aha!" Clair said, coming around the corner "Trying to hide from us?"

Behind her our whole group of friends was behind them, laughing triumphantly.

"See, I told you they snuck off to make out!" Brian said.

I blushed and looked down.

"See, look at her, she's blushing!" Amanda called, giggling.

"Alright missy, you've got some explaining to do!" Jenny said, grabbing my arm and leading me inside to the girl's bathroom, the rest of the girls following.

"Alright, what happened miss 'My-hair's-a-mess-and-my-costume-is-askew'?" Kelee asked, picking at my costume.

"Um, I fell?" I said, franticly trying to come up with a cover story.

"Yeah, which is exactly why you started blushing like mad when we came out." Christi said sarcastically.

"Can I help it if I'm a klutz?" I said, shrugging.

"Woman, you preformed 'Il Muto' flawlessly, don't tell me that you're a klutz." Clair said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Tell us what happened! All we know is that you left to 'cool off' and then you were gone for a while, so Ethan left, and then you two were gone for what seemed like forever, so we go outside and see you two, you red as a tomato and his looking anywhere _but _at you."

That's because he knows what I look like without my costume on, I thought, remembering how he looked when he first came and found me, and the second time when I was right up in his face. Oh man, it was so embarrassing.

"So… what happened?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh… when…" I was cut off by knocking on the bathroom door.

"Girls, get out of there! We found a body!" Kurt's voice came through the wood.

I paled. Oh God, they found him…

"A body?" Screeched Amanda, Jenny and Kelee at the same time.

"Get out here!" He yelled, and we opened the door, pouring out of the bathroom.

He was already going back outside and we sprinted after him, all except me trying to get him to tell us what he meant.

He skidded to a stop on the side of the transformer, and when we caught up, the girls gasped in surprise.

And hey, if I hadn't been the one that beat him I would be gasping at the sight of a battered and bloody body lying on the ground.

I looked down at my slippers and had to bite my lip from yelling.

I had blood on them. And not just any blood, either; it was the blood of the man lying in front of us. I tried to wipe them off on the ground, but the blood had already dried.

"Oh my God…" whispered Abby, her hands covering her mouth.

I knew that to keep up my act I should have at least attempted to look shocked or surprised, but I just couldn't.

That idiot was going to rape me; and I couldn't even pretend to feel bad for the bastard.

"Katey, did…" Clair began, but stopped as she saw the expression on my face. I hadn't even noticed that I had been glaring at the body on the ground, and I realized too late that I should have kept my face still, if not shocked or surprised. "What's with that expression?" She asked, a hint of suspicion showing on her face.

"What? What expression?" I said, trying to sound innocent.

"That one, the one where you looked like… hang on… How did you two" she pointed to Ethan and I "not see him?"

"We didn't come back here." Ethan said quickly.

"But you still should have seen him from in front of the transformer; we did." Aaron said, sounding suspicious.

I felt like I was being cornered, but I stood my ground.

"Well, we weren't exactly keeping watch for any mangled bodies." I said defensively.

"Then what _were _you two doing over here?" Zach asked.

There was a pause before Ethan said roughly "Is it any of your business as to what we were doing?"

Great, now he's making it sound like we were making out or something.

"Ethan, this guy is practically beaten to death, and you two were the only ones out here." Brad said accusingly.

There was another pause before…

"Katey… is that… blood on your shoes?" Amanda sounded astonished.

I paled.

Shit…shit….shit…

"Katey, what happened." Brian asked, making it sound like a demand.

All of a sudden the man stirred and the attention shifted from me to him.

"Where is that whore!" He roared, and I backed away, terrified.

He hobbled to his feet, and, seeing the boys try and help him up, he swatted them away.

I was backing slowly away, hoping he wouldn't see me, but once again I couldn't be so lucky.

He caught sight of me and shoved the girls out of his way, and lunged for me, yelling all the while "You little bitch! You better stop before I get hold of you!"

I started running out to the parking lot, but tripped over the curb, falling on my side with a cry of pain.

With the force of the impact my neck jerked, making my head slam against the asphalt.

The guys had already begun running after the man, and with a well aimed lunge, Kurt tackled him to the ground.

I shook my head to try and get my vision strait, and then jumped up, feeling the ground below me seem to tilt this way and that.

"Katey! Oh my god!" Clair cried, running over to me and hugging me. "Please tell me what happened!" The guys were over with the man, but the rest of the girls had dashed over to me.

Too dizzy to really even care, I retold what happened, ignoring the frequent gasps and stifled screams when I told them something particularly bad.

"Don't tell anyone, don't tell…" I said, feeling my knees give out from under me as I fell back.

**--------------------------**

**Wow, that certainly was intense… **

**Pretty please review, ok?**


	16. Sword Play

**Yay, thanks for the three **reviews MJ MOD and Emptyvoices and FaNtAsMaS ChIcA!

**Also, just as a warning, later on it's going to be a little more… um… how should I put it… well, let's just say later on it's not for the faint of heart, or someone who will be shocked by me writing this. **

**--------------------------------**

I woke up in Clair's Grandmother's house, lying on the bed in Clair's room.

Clair was sitting with the other girls on the floor, talking quietly.

I sat up, but immediately felt like someone was throwing bricks at my head.

"Katey! You're awake!" Amanda said loudly.

"You're sleeping here tonight, I already called your mom; we're all sleeping over. The guys are down at the police station." Clair explained.

I leapt off the bed.

"WHAT?" I yelled, fighting off the drunken feeling.

"Relax; they're only turning him on attempted rape. They don't have to say who he was trying to… you know…"

I sat down and leaned back against the pillow.

"What happened after I hit my head? I can't remember anything except telling you guys about what happened."

"Well, you said "don't tell anyone" and then" your knees gave and you fell back, but Amanda here caught you. So then I said, we'll take her back to my grandma's house, and we'll have another sleepover, just incase the guy, like, breaks free and tries to come after you again. So we put you in the car and brought you here. End of story." Clair said, shrugging.

"What about that guy, how'd the guys get him to the police station?" I asked. Last time I'd seen him he was trying to beat his way past the guys to try and get to me.

"Well, we kinda had to knock 'em out the hard way. Ethan kneed him right in the forehead, and boom, he was out like a light. So they shoved him in a car and told us they'll be over after they put the guy away." Christi explained.

Downstairs there was the sound of chimes, and Abby jumped up.

"I'll get it. It's probably just the guys…" She said, going out through the parlor and down the stairs.

There was muffled talking from downstairs, and then a loud "WHAT?" from Abby.

We all looked at each other and hopped up from where we were, racing downstairs.

The guys were all standing in the doorway, changed from their costumes, and looking like a cross between apologetic and enraged.

"What happened?" Kelee asked, sounding like she really didn't want to know.

"They wouldn't take that guy to jail." Abby said, her voice shaking with rage.

I felt like throwing up and fainting at the same time.

"What! Why?" Jenny asked, now sounding angry.

"They said there was no proof." Said Ethan, sounding even more pissed than Jenny and Abby combined.

"How was there no proof?" Amanda asked, disbelieving.

"He woke up, but he kept saying that he didn't touch anyone, and that we had ganged up on him. They had no choice but to let him go." Zach said, looking like he wanted to punch something.

Well wasn't _this _going to be a fun night?

-

I had borrowed some of Clair's pajama's again (strawberry shortcake shorts and a white camisole) which I felt extremely uncomfortable in them after today.

When Clair handed them over she apologized, but they were the only ones she had on hand.

Now it was long past we had retired to the upstairs parlor, and everyone except me was asleep.

I had my eyes wide open, staring un-blinking straight up at the ceiling.

Now that it was all quiet with nothing to distract me, I could only think about how a perfectly good night had turned into living Hell.

As I turned onto my side, I felt a searing pain, and I quickly rolled back onto my back. For the second time I had forgotten about the bruise on my hip where I had fallen.

My mind flashed back to the millisecond before the guy had grabbed my forearm, where a bruise was starting to develop. I had been thinking about my dance, and wondering what Ethan had thought. After all, I _had _told him that I wasn't in ballet.

And then I remembered lying on the ground, helpless, bound and gagged, and naked to the waist when he came to find me.

And then when I had gone to him after I had knocked out the guy… I flushed just thinking about it…

Twice he had seen me almost completely naked… Oh, I couldn't tell anyone… especially not mom! She would kill me! And…OHMIGOD! THE COSTUME! It was in good shape, considering what it had been through, but the slippers… the blood on them… oh man, how was I going to escape that… Oh my god… what was that?

There was the sound of breaking glass, and around me, everyone else woke up, also hearing it.

"What the hell was that?" Christi whispered, sounding terrified.

"I don't know…" Aaron said, standing up. "Come on guys, let's go see…"

The guys all got noiselessly to their feet, going slowly down the stairs as to make no noise.

"It couldn't be that guy, could it?" Kelee asked quietly, scooting closer to Abby.

"I hope not…" I whispered back, now being squished in the middle of Clair and Amanda as they scooted closer to me.

We waited in anxious silence for a minute, trying to hear anything from downstairs, but there was only quiet, and then…

Laughter?

"What in the world?" Clair wondered aloud.

Christi stood up and went over to the stairs, calling down, "What happened?"

"There's a cat here! It broke a vase." Came Kurt's voice, laughing.

"You didn't tell us there's a cat here." Jenny said to Clair.

"Yeah, I forgot to tell you guys…" Clair said, sounding extremely embarrassed.

"Got us all scared for nothing! Next time there's any creepy sounds _you're_ going to be the one who goes down!" Amanda said, moving away from Clair in fake disgust.

We laughed, and relaxed some.

"So what time is it?" Christi asked, leaning her head on Clair's shoulder and yawning.

There was a little beep and then a blue light brightened the room a little.

"One Twenty-four" Abby read off her cell phone.

"Man, we crashed that early?" Clair asked to no one in particular "We must be getting old."

"No, we just danced to much or something." Amanda said, leaning back on her elbows.

"Of course, no one danced like Katey over here." Jenny said, laughing.

"Yes, I know, I rock. Go me." I said, smiling.

"Why so modest?" Brian said, coming up the stairs.

"Because I'm cool like that." I said simply.

"Women, all the same; always so full of themselves." Kurt said, coming up behind Brian.

"No, you're just jealous because I'm beautiful."

The guys roared with laughter, and I joined them. It was good to have something to distract me with, and evidently that's what everyone else thought.

We kept talking for another hour, and then slowly, one by one, everyone fell asleep, with Clair coming up last.

"Okay, I think I've hit my limit for staying up…" She said, yawning.

"Nice." I said, but no response came.

"Clair?" I said, wondering if she had already fallen asleep.

No answer.

Lovely… I thought, accidentally rolling onto my bruise again.

-**dream-**

I was back at the school, standing outside the lobby again, thinking about Ethan, when suddenly I felt someone grab my wrist.

I was being dragged back behind the transformer, where I was bound and gagged, and then stripped to nothing.

I struggled against the person, but I couldn't see them. It was just a dark, hazy shape that was touching me all over.

I waited so long for Ethan to finally come out, calling my name, but he never did.

I jerked this way and that, trying to get away, but the shadow straddled me, keeping me still.

And then all at once I could see the shadow's face…

It was Francois.

I tried yelling and screaming, but the gag seemed to have stopped my trachea from functioning properly, and I couldn't make a sound.

"That bumbling fool wouldn't know how to pleasure you, my dear Fleur. And neither can that stupid Ethan. Only I can show you what real passion feels like." He said, starting to grind against me.

I arched my back, trying again to get him off of me, but he seemed to think that I was enjoying his rape.

"Ah, see, I knew you would come around to wanting me. It was just a matter of time. I suppose you realize that I could have protected you against that idiot redneck instead of allowing him to sneak up behind me and knock me out." He said, giving a hard thrust, making me want to cry out in pain.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" He said, almost mocking the pain that showed in my eyes.

And then all of a sudden the scene changed. I was still bound and gagged by the transformer, but I was back in my pajamas.

Francois wasn't on top of me anymore, in fact, because he was standing menacingly in front of Ethan, both holding swords in their hands.

I tried to call out to him, begging for help, but I still couldn't speak.

Francois leered at me; "And now, my pet, it's time for the ultimate challenge: The battle to the death. Looser dies, winner gets you." He said, grinning like a madman.

I wanted to say 'And when did I consent to this?' but it was like my throat had been frozen.

Ethan looked totally lost. It was like a second grader in an advanced PH.D class for college, completely at loss as to why he was there.

Francois turned back to Ethan and said menacingly "Know how to fence, pussy?"

Ethan glared at his opponent.

"Of course I do."

"Good. Then we begin."

Francois held his sword like an expert, while Ethan held his awkwardly. It was clear that even if he _knew_ how to fence, he hadn't practiced.

After maybe five minutes of this, Ethan was loosing terribly.

Francois already had ten touches, or should I say whacks. They weren't playing by the rules at all, and were making it look like the fight between Raoul and Erik during the Graveyard bit.

Francois made an expert jab; faking Ethan into thinking her was going left, but hit right, knocking the sword out of his hand.

He laughed triumphantly and strode of to me, jerking me to my feet and holding me close.

"And now you are all mine…" he said, ripping the gag out of my mouth and forcing his lips against mine.

But this time the kiss was different; no spark, no nothing. The only thing I felt was disgust, and I struggled to get away from him.

"Get away from me!" I said, pulling my head away.

There was the sound of a foil slapping a back, and I saw Ethan behind Francois, sword at the ready, challenging him to another duel.

"One more fight." Ethan said, trying to sound tough, but his eyes betrayed a little fear. "One more to prove who the winner is."

"Anything to prove I am more worthy than you, you bumbling idiot." Francois said, making the first move.

It seemed like in the split second after the first match was over Ethan had learned to properly wield the weapon, and was now winning, rather than loosing.

There was a tense moment where their swords were locked, both leaning their full weight into the swords, trying to make the other let go.

All of a sudden Francois stepped back without warning, and made Ethan perform one hell of a roll on the ground.

Francois had turned his back on Ethan, who was still holding onto his sword and jumping up from the ground. Ethan thrust his sword out at Francois's loosened hold, and easily knocked it out of his hands.

Francois whipped around in surprise, facing Ethan who was looking positively triumphant.

"I win." Ethan said, panting a little.

Francois was stunned; he had just been beaten by his enemy, and now had to pay the price of death.

But as Francois tensed, Ethan pushed past him and to me.

"Katey, are you alright? I know I've had to ask you this so many times today…" he said, hugging me.

I nodded, but he pulled back, remembering that I was still tied up.

"Sorry…" He mumbled, fumbling with the ropes on my hands.

The bonds came loose, and I bent, undoing the ropes on my ankles.

I stood up and hugged Ethan, pulling him close to me and laying my head on his shoulder.

"You've saved me so many times today…" I whispered, and lifted my head.

I hesitated for only a moment before I stood on tip-toe and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you." I said, and he pulled me into another hug, wrapping his arms around me.

**--------------------------------------------------**

**AWWWWWW! **

**That's all I can think of to say, and I'm the one who wrote it! **

**Well, that and… **

**LIVE FROM NEW YORK IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT! **

…

**Oops, wrong line. **

**I meant: **

**Please review! **


	17. California Dreaming

**THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEATE, THIS IS NOT A DRILL! **

**Ok, I just felt like saying that. I always have, you know? But I've never really had the chance… **

**But anyway, getting back to the point I'm updating. **

**No, it's not to post another chapter. **

**(Ducks at the possibility of having something chucked at my face) **

**I've just posted to say… **

**I'm leaving for California tonight! **

**I'll be there until next Tuesday, so I will probably only update once, which is why I've been updating so much lately, to make up for that. **

**I'm sorry I have to go, especially when things have gotten really good, but I'll do my best to update while I'm at my aunt's house. **

**I Love you all for being such good fans! **

**Your obedient servant, **

**-Kell Bell-**


	18. Get Your Tickets Today!

**Guess who's back, back, back; back again, again, again? **

**Kelly's back, back, back; tell a friend, friend, friend**

**TAH DAH! I've returned from my stay in the best state ever, besides Texas, all tan and pretty (I'm not sure on the last one.)**

**The Roadster show rocked, and we cruised on the PCH, having the best time of my life. **

**Man, I wished I'd never moved… **

**Oh well… Enough gory details! On with the story! **

**----------------------------------**

In the morning I woke, worried that my dream had been true. Because if it had; one, Francois was most likely going to come back to kill us all and two, I kissed Ethan.

The while after everyone woke up and got ready to leave was like a torture for me, Ethan didn't say anything to me, and I avoided him carefully, making sure that he couldn't speak to me.

But then, my plans were thwarted when Clair and I went outside to take me home, and found her tires slashed.

"Holy…" Clair whispered, her hands tangled in her hair, as if she was trying to rip it out.

"Oh my God…" I said, bending over to check them out.

"Damnit! Now I have to go and buy a whole new set! Do you know how much that'll cost me?" She demanded, her voice rising hysterically.

"That's at least four hundred…" I said, coming back after circling the car, seeing all four tires ripped all the way around. "Don't you have insurance?"

"No…" She moaned, dropping to the grass. "Mom's going to kill me."

"What happ… oh my God." Abby said, coming outside to see what the noise was.

"Your tires…" Kelee whispered, her hands covering her mouth in shock.

"Did you hear anything last night?" Christi asked Brian, who had just come out.

"No, what about you guys?"

"Nothing."

"Nope."

From the grass Clair moaned, the sound muffled by her knees.

"Didn't you have insurance?" Kurt asked, now checking the tires.

"No." I answered for her.

"Damn, that's going to be expensive." Ethan said.

I felt little tingles from just hearing his voice, but avoided looking up at him.

There was a silence, where everyone seemed to be either staring at the car or at Clair.

"At least they didn't key the car." Brad said, trying to comfort Clair.

"That's true." I agreed, sitting down next to her.

"But the thing needs a new paint job anyway!" Clair wailed, raising her head, revealing twin wet streaks down her cheeks.

She had a point. The Poor '68 Nova paint was a hideous shade of sea foam green with yellow and purple pin striping; obviously evidence of the late '80's or early '90's.

"But it would have scratched the body all up, and even with a new paint job it wouldn't cover up the damage to the fiberglass." I said quickly, hoping she wouldn't contradict me by saying the body wasn't fiberglass and that it wouldn't be scratched. I sure as heck didn't know, I just grabbed the first thing that came to mind about keying cars.

There was a tense moment, at least for me anyway, before Clair sniffed and said, "I guess you're right… but I still don't have the money for tires, and mom and dad won't lend me any, they just spent a butt-load on getting the transmission fixed!"

Me talking seemed to be making Clair even more upset.

"I think I have some old tires in my garage…" Zach said, looking like he was thinking hard. "Dad'll never miss them; he just got some new ones and were planning to give 'em to my sister for her car."

"Really?" Clair looked up, smiling at last.

"Absolutely. I'll bring them by later today, when I can sneak them out. I don't think Maddie'll mind… much." He said, cracking a crooked smile.

We laughed at the thought of Zach's high maintenance older sister not finding the tires in the garage, but it was cut short by my cell phone ringing the Blues Brothers' theme song.

I blushed a little before answering "Hi mom."

"Katey Anne Douglas, I need you to get home right now." She said; her voice unusually stern.

"I was just on my way but…"

She interrupted me, "Don't you go giving any excuses! You get home this instant!"

"But mom…"

"Don't you 'but mom' me, get your butt back home; NOW"

She hung up on me, and I stared at the phone in shock.

Mom had just yelled at me, no, screamed at me over the phone and wouldn't even say way.

I had only seen, heard, her this way once before. We were at the Grand Canyon and I had wanted to go down to the bottom, so, without even consenting mom or dad, I climbed over the railing and started making my way down to the bottom.

Luckily a park ranger spotted me and brought me back to my parents, who yelled at me, making me cry in public.

But that had been over ten years ago, and I dreaded to think of what I had done to make mom this mad.

"Guys, I have to go. Mom sounds ready to kill…" I said, starting to go, but Ethan grabbed my arm, making me feel all tingly again.

'How are you going to get home?" He asked skeptically.

"Same was as I did before Clair got her car; walking."

"Katey, you've got some madman after you; you're not walking home."

Two, actually.

"Then how, pray tell, am I going to get home? Flying?" I smirked.

"I have my car here too."

Oh yeah; last night when he drove back with the guys he had parked in the street, because the driveway was big enough for only one car, and whoever slashed the tires must have figured it was the neighbor's car.

My grin faded and I felt incredibly stupid.

"Damn my un-observance to the deepest circle of Hades." I mumbled, wishing I could evaporate.

"No time for cursing now, your mom sounded mad." Jenny said, shoving me to Ethan's Ford Expedition.

"You heard her?" I asked, twisting my head around, cheeks flushing bright red.

"She was only screaming; now go, before she sends the FBI or something." She said, giving me a final shove, making me trip over the curb, and slamming my arm into the rear passenger door.

I regained my balance, turned back to face the sniggering behind me and said, "Jenny, one of these day you are SO going to get jumped."

This made them laugh even harder, obviously remembering the time I had tried to 'jump' Christi.

I had snuck up behind her and literally jumped on her, trying to tackle her to the ground, but wound up being the one taken down. Yeah, I'm a little out of practice, seeing as I've had no older or younger siblings to practice with.

After a few moments of stalling, Ethan and I got in, and drove in a very uncomfortable silence. I wondered if he had the same crazy fencing dream as I had, but was terrified at the thought of asking.

"There's my house." I said, unbuckling.

"See you at school." He said, glancing over at the car door which I had just shut.

I nodded, and hurried up my front walk, almost cowering in fear as to the question why mom was so pissed at me.

I opened the door slowly and quietly, hoping to sneak in, but just as I poked my head through the door frame I saw that I would have no such luck.

Mom and dad were standing guard in the front doorway, evidently waiting for me.

"Katey Anne Douglas. Do you have _any_ idea as to how worried we were about you?" Dad thundered. I hadn't heard him thunder in a long time.

"I thought Clair called you guys…" I said in a small voice. I can't stand confrontations aimed directly at me.

"She did, but that's not the problem." Mom said fiercely.

Oh boy, did Erik show up in my bedroom or something? I thought, allowing a momentary comic relief in my head.

"Have you seen the news this morning?" Dad asked; more of a demand than anything else.

"No…" I said. What's so important about the news anyway? It's all lame and depressing stuff about murderers and rapists… oh shit.

"There was a tape recovered from _your _school showing a girl in a _ballet costume_ almost getting _raped_!" Mom shrilled.

"There could have been other girls there in ballet costumes, mom." I said, my voice betraying the fact I was lying.

"Only there was a crowd of her friends apparently, and they all strangely looked like your posse." Dad said cynically.

I suppose my eyes started to well up, because all of a sudden things got blurry and the next thing I knew, mom and dad were hugging me and didn't sound mad anymore.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you come _home_?" Mom asked, sounding on the verge of tears herself.

"Honey, you can tell us anything." Dad said.

"But I was _afraid_!" I blubbered. "And you saw on the tape that I hit my head…"

"You hit your head?" Mom asked, pulling back.

"We saw only the cretin lunge and you and then you running, as well as the boys tackling him." Dad said, sounding definitely worried now.

"Where did you hit, honey, do you need to go to the doctor?" Mom asked, already feeling along my skull for any lumps.

She found where I landed, a little behind my ear, and I whimpered in pain.

"Oh… Sweetie, we need to take you to the doctor… do you feel like you're going to faint? Can you see alright?" Mom said, already starting to put my arm around her shoulder for a crutch.

"Well I _was _fine until you touched it…" I said, gritting my teeth against the horrible throbbing that seemed to pulsate through my entire head, making things start to see the weird Technicolor spots you see when you stare at something bright for too long and then suddenly look away.

"I'll be fine, mom. I just need to go… lie down, okay?" I said, rambling past them and up the stairs to my room, leaning heavily on the rail.

I fell on my bed, making sure not to land on my bump, but didn't close my eyes.

For sure, when I fell asleep, I would wind up back somehow with Francois, it was inevitable. And I just had to stop that somehow… but how?

I wasn't sure what world he was in… mine, or Paris, and I wasn't altogether willing to find out which. But… if I could just find out which one…

I sat up suddenly. I just had the greatest epiphany of all times… If only Erik and everyone else would just go along with me… and if I could figure this out right…

I sat down at in my old desk chair, which squeaked and groaned, and turned flipped on my laptop which was supposed to be used only for school work, but this time it was an emergency of some sorts.

I went to and typed in "what happens when you're in a coma?"

At first nothing popped up, but then there were all these articles from people who had been in comas.

Three years ago I would have read these and laughed my butt off at these crazy people writing about how they wound up in London, 1900, or Italy 1452 or whatever, but now I knew exactly how they felt.

Only they had actually been brave enough to share their experiences.

I read all of their stories, and then re-read them, picking over every detail, comparing them to my experience. Not one of them seemed close enough to mine to ask for help.

I went back to the search page and clicked on another similar link with more of these stories, reading, re-reading and comparing until I finally found a story that was close to mine.

The person had been walking alone at night when they were attacked and beaten until they passed out, waking in Paris, 1871, near the Opera House. They went to the house and stayed for a while, making friends with the ballerina's and crews there, all the while speaking French, with no previous knowledge of the language.

I scanned the bottom of the page for an email address, and wrote them an email, begging them to answer a question of mine.

I sent it, and went back to research more about coma's, when my email inbox popped up, saying I had a new email.

I could scarcely believe that they had written back so fast.

"_To KateyxRox3, _

_Thank you for sending the email; it has been a long time since anyone has believed my story, and oblige in your request for knowing more about my experiences. _

_Before I quench your thirst for knowledge, however, I must first ask your intentions. Forgive me if I may seem rude, but if this is merely a school project or some sort I must deny your plea. _

_If you could reply back your intentions that would be helpful, before I reveal to a stranger my personal stories. _

_-Sincerely yours, Paul Franklin." _

I concentrated on the name; trying to think back to if I had met anyone by the name of Paul, but remembered that I hadn't used my real name, opting for something more French instead.

I clicked the reply button and quickly wrote,

"_To Mr. Franklin, _

_I promise to you that this is not for some silly school matter, but indeed for personal reference only. _

_Though I feel as though I should get to know you better before revealing my own seemingly un-believable past, there is no time for that now. _

_I myself had been in a coma two years previous, with a situation very much like yours." _

I paused. How could it be that the first person I told about what happened during my coma would be a complete stranger? But if this Paul character holds the key to getting rid of Francois forever, I was content. I retold him my entire story, including what happened just yesterday, finishing up with…

"_In conclusion, what I ask of you is simple. You seem to have researched this topic thoroughly, where as I have only started today, and I wonder if it is possible to bring back the people from the 'other side' back here to present time. _

_Hoping for an answer, Katey Douglas." _

I sent it, and sat back, waiting.

After five long minutes, the reply came back…

"_Dear Katey, or should I call you Fleur,_

_I have indeed met you before, as Ely Markus. I served as one of the fly men at the Opera House during my short stay. _

_It is indeed a pleasure to hear from a friend from Paris, but it is terrible to hear of your mishap with Francois. I remember all of the controversy after you disappeared from Don Juan, and I must admit I also accused Erik. _

_Now, about your question. Yes, I have researched on this quite a bit, speaking with former coma victims, and psychics and mediums on the possibility of bringing people back. _

_You will be pleased to know that it is indeed possible to have your friends come to this world, but they must be willing to come. _

_-Ely/Paul" _

I licked my lips as I looked at the screen.

Well, this'll be fun getting Eric, Christine, Meg, and Madame Giry to come to the future where they're considered 'not there'.

Good thing Phantom of the Opera isn't at Dallas Fair Park or else it would be all over the radio and TV.

I grinned and flipped on my radio, my grin fading fast.

"And experience the Music of the Night at Dallas Fair Park. Call the box office of log online to get tickets today."

Damnit.

**-------------------------------**

**There you are, ladies and possibly gentleman! **

**An extra long chapter just for having to make all of you lovelies. **

**Please review! **


	19. She's An Irritable Ghost, Isn't She?

**WEEEE! **

'**NOTHER UPDATE!**

**----------------------------------------------**

I read 'Wicked' until it was an acceptable time to go to sleep. I had kept glancing over at the clock every few seconds, willing it to hurry up.

Finally the electronic numbers morphed into a one, a zero: zero, and zero.

I put the book down onto the bedside table and got up, changing into my pajamas before crawling into bed, clicking my lamp off.

I had already read so much that my eyes had seemed ready to shut any second, but now that I had gotten up and torn my eyes from the pages of the book, I wasn't so tired anymore.

I lay in the darkness for a few more moments, before getting up again to go to my stereo, putting in Josh Groban, a secret favorite of mine. I turned the volume down low, and got back into bed, catching strains of 'Alla Luce Del Sole.'

My eyes closed, and I hummed along with the track, slowly falling asleep…

-

I opened my eyes, not too surprised to see Erik's looming shape in front of me, thundering music out of his precious organ.

I recognized part of 'Music of the Night' and hummed along with his playing, making him stop suddenly.

"Guess who's back?" I said, flashing a huge fake smile.

"Couldn't you tell I was busy?" he asked irritably, turning to face me, who still had the smile plastered on.

"Nope. Can't tell a thing of what's going on when I'm at home." I said, moseying over to the Organ and leaning against it, clearly starting to make Erik angry.

"Off." He said, indicating to my arm which was resting on a few sheets of music. After I moved it he asked "And what do you want, anyway?"

I smiled again. "Glad you asked, buddy." I said, sitting down next to him on the bench, clearly disturbing him by my sudden friendliness. "You see, I need to ask you something…" I started, but I was cut off.

"No, I will not help you return from the dead; although that would certainly clear my name…"

I made a buzzer sound. "Wrong. I need to know if Francois is still here in Paris."

Erik thought for a moment before saying, "No, I haven't seen him in a while."

I groaned. I had really hoped that I wouldn't have to resort to bringing the whole crowd back with me. "Well that's just great." I muttered.

"Why?"

"I _was _just going to murder him here, but now that he's back home… Oh my God…" I stopped, realizing the danger Ethan was in.

"Erik, I need your help again. And you're going to help whether you like it or not!"

"What?" he spluttered, but I ignored him, standing up.

"Erik, get me the hell out of this bat cave and up to the main floors. I've just _got _to see everyone." I demanded, pulling him after me, and shoving him over to the little boat dock.

It gave me a headstrong feeling that I was actually pushing Erik around, but it vanished immediately after he turned around and grabbed my wrists.

"You're not going to make me do anything I don't want to do." He snarled, then let go of me, pushing me away from him.

I stumbled, and then corrected myself.

"Fine… fine, I'll do it myself." I said, swiftly walking past him, and climbing into the boat. I was definitely not going to let him stop me from getting all the help I could get.

"Fine by me." He said, going back to his organ.

"Damn you." I said, struggling with the oar.

It was much harder than it looked, and I was on the verge of falling out of the damned gondola.

I slowly and painfully made my way to the other shore, cursing Erik and his stupid lake house. I rambled out of the boat and ran down the corridors, up the stairs, and to the end of the tunnels, where the dressing room was.

I looked through the glass, into the empty room before me.

I felt my fingers along the side of the gilded frame, feeling for the little latch. I got hold, and threw my weight against the mirror, making it budge just a little bit.

I stepped back, breathing a little heavier than normal, before I heaved myself at the cursed mirror again.

The thing jerked to the side, making a loud screech just as the door to the room opened, showing a Christine who, in a tenth of a second, drained of all color seeing me in the evidently long unused doorway.

"Christine, I need your help." I said, stepping into the room.

She backed against the door in fear.

"Oh for God's sake…" I muttered, sick of everyone being afraid of me. "Christine, I'm not here to haunt you for all eternity. In fact, I _can't_ haunt you for the fact I'm not dead."

"Wha…what?" she stuttered, disbelieving.

"Well, ok, I guess you could say I was officially murdered, but not by Erik, the opera ghost or Angel of Music as you know him by. It was Francois. He only pretended to be my beau just to get close enough to me to kill me.

"Now wipe that have dazed look of your face and believe me, Christine, because I need all the help I can get. I'm from the future and… no, listen to me… I had been in a bad accident, and came here in spirit form. Well the night of Don Juan, I met Francois in the depths of the abyss and he, essentially, murdered me, making my spirit go back to the year 2006.

"Remember what I said now; so now its three years or so after I left here, at least in my home time and Francois is back and trying to kill my friends. I need you and Meg and Madame Giry and Richard and Fredrikk and everyone else who will come to help me get rid of Francois. Do you understand?"

She nodded, but slowly.

I sighed, leaning back against the mirror frame.

"You must think I've lost my mind…" I said softly, wondering if I could possibly pull this off.

"No… Fleur, I do. Even though it makes you sound like you belong in an asylum, I believe you. It makes perfect sense. Now come, we have to get everyone." She smiled and pulled me through the door, leading me to the ballet dormitories, where we burst through the door, silencing every voice in the room.

Apparently not only the Corps was there, but as was the Chorus, and they were all staring horrified at me.

"Christine! How could you bring this ghost in here?" One voice demanded. It sounded like Hannah, but I couldn't be sure, because the air was full of shouts about bringing the devil's worker in here.

"No, no! Listen to her! She isn't a ghost! If she were a ghost, would I be able to hold her hand and pull her along through these doors?" She cried, the loudest I had heard her speak, ever.

The noise suddenly stopped, all trying to form a new reason.

"She could be fooling us. The Devil has that power." Said a random voice and another cried loudly "She's a witch!"

The people yelled their agreement and I knew I had to step in now.

"Oh shut up! All of you! You're speaking of me as though I am lowly scum off the street and not an old friend of yours! I am not a ghost, and am certainly not a witch either!" I shouted, making the people fall silent again.

"I am not a ghost because I never died, and am certainly not a witch, seeing as it is un-Godly. Now although after I tell you my story you may think I deserve to be locked up in an asylum for good, I beg of you to listen anyway. I am in desperate need; otherwise I would have kept sanctity and quiet, not bothering to fight against these terrible accusations." I spat at them, hoping they felt ashamed for the way they treated me.

They kept their quiet, and I paused for just one moment, wondering if I would be burned at the stake for telling them this. But who cares, I've already come this far. To chicken out would mean having to face Francois forever and ever.

And so I started with the now familiar… "My true given name is Katey Anne Douglas. I was born October 9th, 1992…" and spun my story, telling them everything I had to Erik and Paul Franklin.

I finished in just a few minutes to a stunned silence.

"Please believe me, it's the only way you can help!" I said desperately.

"She's a witch. The devil's spawn!" Yelled someone from the back. It took me a moment to realize who screamed it…Fredrikk.

"Please, you must understand! I wouldn't have come if it wasn't a matter of utmost emergency!" I cried to the now roaring crowd.

"Get out, Devil's Child!" Screamed a girl, and suddenly I felt hands shoving at me, making me fall back out of the room, landing roughly on my back, rolling over before skidding to a stop on my stomach a few feet away.

Christine came after myself, and landed in the same manner as I. A few seconds later Meg rushed out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Fleur, I didn't believe that story as well as anyone else did, but because you're my friend, I can't abandon you in a time of need. Come on, we'll take you to mother." She said, pulling first me, and then Christine up, and pulling us down the corridor to Madame Giry's room.

We burst in, startling Madame Giry, who had been working on needle point.

"What in Heavens name…" She said, putting down her work and standing up, staring unashamedly at me.

"Madame Giry, I've come to ask you a favor." I said, and then for what felt like the thousandth time, I recited my story.

By the time I had finished, Madame Giry had placed her hand over her heart and said "Oh" several times, but now stood with a firm look on her face.

"Well, when do you need us there by?" She asked, and I smiled. She truly believed me.

"If possible, tomorrow." I said, and described my bedroom, so they knew what to think of before they fell asleep tonight.

"And now, I think it is time I got back home. I fear that I might have slept in so much that my mother and father will think I've fallen ill again." I said, hugging Madame Giry.

"We'll see you in a few hours. It is nearly dark here." She said, hugging back.

"Goodbye!" I said, pulling back, and hugging Christine and Meg each in turn.

I stepped back and closed my eyes, feeling myself seem to float away.

**------------------------**

**Oh boy! Looks like Meg, Madame Giry and Christine are going to come and help get rid of Francois! **

**Please Review, as always! **


	20. Arival Time: Not NOW!

**And continuing on...**

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My eyes remained shut, even as I felt myself becoming more and more awake. I was afraid that last night was just a crazy dream, and that no help would come to me.

At last I couldn't stand lying there, just worrying, and I opened my eyes, rolling over onto my side to where I could see the clock which read 'nine: twenty- six.'

It was good that I hadn't slept in 'til one, or something, because in my house, that was unacceptable. Only sick people could sleep that late, and I didn't want mom or dad to think I was sick.

I got up, grabbed my towel and headed for the bathroom to take a shower.

The water felt a little cold, but it was a good cold, and it relaxed my muscles, and felt good on my head.

I toweled off, grabbed my pajama's and headed back to my room, flipping Josh Groban back on, and trying to sing along in un-intelligible Italian.

I giggled a little at the thought of what Carlotta would say if she heard me making a mockery of her native language, and changed the song to track three; 'You're Still You.'

My voice wasn't thoughroughly warmed up yet, so it sounded kind of sloppy, but as the song went on, I improved.

I took a deep breath before hitting the incredibly complex 'Lonely', but the moment after I belted out the first part, I immediately soured the note.

From behind me came a thud, and then some confused words.

I whipped around, and saw Meg, Christine and Madame Giry all in a confused heap.

"Fleur… this is indeed more… Oh my goodness! What on Earth are you wearing?" Madame Giry shrilled, shocked at my attire.

My cheeks flamed. I was still in just my bra and underwear. I had gotten so caught up in singing that I hadn't bothered to keep dressing.

"Well…I…" I stuttered, but I was cut off by the appearance of someone who I hadn't counted on seeing in my bedroom.

Erik.

My arms flew around my body, and Madame Giry forced Erik to face the other way.

"What's all this about?" he commanded.

"I'm not _decent_!" I shrilled in French, seeing as it was what they were speaking in also.

I could tell he was embarrassed by the way he said "I'll just…go back… for a little while longer, shall I?"

He disappeared, but I still didn't relax my grip over myself.

"You didn't say he was coming!" I said to Madame Giry.

"When I went to apologize for accusing him of your alleged death, he said that if Christine here was going that he would go too." She said, motioning to Christine, who turned bright red in anger.

"And you let him come still? Even though I am engaged to Raoul?" She demanded, scandalized.

"I had the feeling Fleur needed all the help she could get." She said.

Christine crossed her arms and sulked.

"But really, Fleur, what kind of under clothes are those?" Meg asked, inspecting my scanty ware.

"Well… here in the future, we don't exactly wear dresses and skirts anymore." I said, opening a drawer and pulling out jeans and a knit sweater. Even though it was Texas, it still got pretty cold.

I pulled them on, and then went over to my bookshelf, grabbing one of my Vogue's, handing it to them.

"This is the fashion book of Modern Day." I said, flipping it to a page where they could see 'the new hot trend: vintage '80's!'

"It's… scandalous!" Madame Giry breathed, staring in shock at one particularly low cut sweater set.

"Yes well, not everyone here wears those kinds of things." I remarked.

"But you! In man's breeches!" Christine said, pointing to my own clothes.

"Yeah, well, what can I say? Times have changed." I shrugged. I had to agree with them. Even though it sounded stupid, I did prefer their bulky dresses to jeans and sweaters that didn't protect you from the cold like dresses did.

"Well if this is what the future holds, I hope I'm not around to witness this outrage." Madame Giry said, pursing her lips.

I felt like giggling. She actually _would_ be around, just not exactly participating.

"Well, not all things here are bad. We have heating in houses that doesn't require fireplaces or coal furnaces, and in the heat of summer we have a cooling system. And we can keep food cold in ice box type things, except you don't need to pay for ice. And we can listen to music any time we want!" I said, gesturing to my radio, which was still playing Josh. "And there are all different types you can get, too! Look…" I said, flipping it onto radio mode.

"Come and experience the Music of the Night as you've never heard before… Witness the longest running show on Broadway… come see Phantom of the Opera at Dallas Fair Park…"

Of all the times to play that STUPID commercial they just _had _to pick _now_, didn't they!

I flipped the radio off, but couldn't erase from Meg, Christine and Madame Giry's minds what they had just heard.

"What was that?" Madame Giry asked, more as a demand I tell her.

"Um, the Phantom of the Opera is back in town…" I said in a small voice.

"Phantom of the Opera… as in… the Opera Ghost?" Meg asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah… it's a Broadway Musical…" I said, half hoping they wouldn't hear.

"A Musical about Erik?" Asked Madame Giry.

"No…about…uh…I wish I didn't have to say this…about you." I said, cringing.

"About… us three?"

"No… about what happened in the Opera House between Christine, Raoul and Erik." I said, and then continued on automatically from memory the summary of the Phantom.

"The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most famous stories in the world, and is celebrated on stage as an eerie, romantic mystery of a man/ghost with a musical mission and a woman with the voice of an angel. The main characters are Christine Daae, the Phantom (Erik), and Raoul the Vicomte de Chagny. The place is the Paris opera house Le Palais Garnier and the story is one of bittersweet love and betrayal."

I sighed. This was really starting out fun, wasn't it?

"And then, of course, your fans loved the story so much that it was made into a movie, which, in my opinion, is no comparison to the musical. But this is beside the point…"

"Why didn't you tell us before?"

"I didn't want to scare you!"

"But… we have… fans? Were you one too?"

There was a pause.

"Yes. I considered myself one of your biggest fans. I wanted more than anything to be part of it, like in the show onstage, but I suppose I got something 'better.' I got to live out my fantasy, and I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. I mean, I loved it, but not the way that things were happening after the Masquerade. And it was all so different from the story I had practically memorized! I had changed so many things, and it all wound up so different that I could have ever imagined!" I said, flopping onto my bed.

There was a long silence from above.

"May we… see this show, or movie?" Asked Meg.

I sat up. "No, because it might change everything. You'll know your fates, and that isn't right."

"But you just said everything had been changed. Because you came into our lives, you changed the outcome."

I couldn't help but agree.

"Alright, but let me see if my mother and father are still here…" I said, opening the door and going downstairs, where mom and dad were putting on their coats.

"Oh! Hun! We were just about to come and tell you… we're going out to the mall, did you want to come with us?" Mom asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, going to the mall with your patents is SO juvenile." I smiled while saying, so they would take the hint that I was joking.

"Alright, alright… is there anything you want us to pick up?" Dad asked.

"Hmmm, well I _did _hear that Phantom of the Opera was back in town…"

"Besides that. You've already seen it twice." Mom smiled.

"Aw. Well, if that's not an option, I guess I don't need anything."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

And they left.

I went back upstairs, and told the girls to come on downstairs.

"They just left, so it'll be safe." I said, putting in the movie. "Go ahead and sit on the couch, it would bite."

They sat down, and there was hardly enough room for all their skirts, so I got to sit on the floor; but I didn't mind, the floor was good enough.

The movie played, and every time I glanced back at the trio, they looked to be in shock.

I would shift uncomfortably, wondering if I should just shut the movie off right then and there.

A little ways in past the beginning of Il Muto, there was a knock on the door.

It startled me, and I scrambled for the remote, pushing pause, making Carlotta stop mid-screech.

I opened the door a little ways and say Clair standing there, already trying to open the door up.

"Hey, Clair…" I said, glancing nervously back at Meg, Christine and Madame Giry, who were looking around the living room curiously.

"Hey, wanna let me in? I think it's going to start the rare phenomenon of snowing."

"Um… Clair…" I said, but she opened the door for me, stepping in.

She walked a little, and then came to a dead stop when she saw who was on the couch.

"Katey, what have you not been telling me?" She asked quietly, still in shock.

"Uh… Clair… Meet Christine, Madame Giry, and Meg." I said, pointing to them, and then in French I added "Madame Giry, Christine, Meg, meet my best friend, Clair."

"You never told me you could speak French!" She hissed in my ear.

"Your idols are sitting right in front of you and all you're concerned about is how I can speak French?" I whispered back, grinning.

"It can't be them though! You're putting me on… Oh my God, am I on Punk'd? Because if I am, I swear to God I'm going to kill you, Katey."

"No, you're not on Punk'd, I swear. This is the real deal."

"Catch me, I think I'm going to faint!" She said, falling back into my arms.

I rolled my eyes and pushed her upright.

"I'm on cloud fifty gazillion!" she said, clasping her hands.

"What's she talking about?" Christine asked, no doubt confused.

"She's one of your fans I mentioned earlier. I never told her about what happened when I was in the Coma. Please pardon her rude behavior, but she's obsessed." I said to them, apologizing.

"Fleur, I think it's time you told her." Madame Giry said sternly.

I sighed. "Now?"

She glared at me, and I sighed again.

I turned back to Clair and said in English, "Clair, you had better sit down because what I'm going to tell you is going to be crazy."

She sat down on the floor obediently, and I sat down with her, starting the story, only in a different style. "The night that I fell into the coma, something strange happened…"

Half-way through the story, I was interrupted by a thump from above.

I jumped up, and ran up the stairs, with Clair close behind, all the while asking "What the heck was that?"

I opened the door to my room, and Clair gasped loudly before saying "Oh…My…God…"

"Well it's about time you showed up." I said simply, going to help Erik up.

"Who's she?" He asked rudely about Clair, who looked as though she was seeing the face of God.

"My best friend." I said, equally as mean.

"Interesting choice of Friends you have; first the ballet rats and the god forsaken chorus, and now a girl who looks as though seeing Jesus himself?"

"Shut it, you." I said harshly, and then to Clair "Come on, close your mouth. You look like you're in Special Ed.

She nodded, shut her mouth, and followed us back down to the living room, where the girls were talking quietly.

"I present to you… Erik." I said flatly, with not much humor in my voice.

I flipped the movie back on, and went on telling Clair the story.

**------------------**

**Lame chapter, I know. Nothing really big happened, which I know I'm going to get reviews saying "Nothing big? ARE YOU INSANE?" **

**Whatever. It didn't seem like anything big. **

**Anyways! Please review!**

**And yes, I do love Josh Groban. **


	21. Captivated

**And now for another time warp. I'm sick of all this explaining, so currently we're at Clair's Grandma's house (who is currently having fun in Rome, just in case you were wondering where Grandma was) and has just finished telling the whole group about what happened while she was in the coma. **

**Note, if you love Erik, you will hate me forever and ever. **

**PLEASE DON'T FLAME ME FOR THIS!**

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"You don't believe me? Then how else could have Meg, Madame Giry, Christine and Erik come here?" I demanded, gesturing to the still very confused figures behind me, who straightened when hearing their names.

"Sorry this is taking so long, my friends are quite skeptical." I said in French.

"Well hurry it up, we haven't got all night." Erik said, crossing his arms and looking menacing. I rolled my eyes.

"_You_ were the one who volunteered, need I remind you." I said, starting to get annoyed.

"Katey, when did you learn French?" Brad questioned, awestruck.

"Well, if you had actually paid mind to what I said then you would know!" I snapped in French. The group looked at me puzzled, and I repeated what I said in English.

"Well, it's just… un-believable." Jenny said, still starting at Christine.

"And you're sure we aren't on Punk'd?" Kurt asked to Clair.

She looked at me to answer, and I felt like yelling in frustration. I wish I knew some other language so that I could curse them all, without anyone knowing what I said.

"Fleur, if they do not believe you, then we'll have to go after Francois ourselves." Meg said firmly.

"Meg, I'm going to agree with you on that." I said. Then I turned to my so called friends.

"Fine then; you don't believe us, then we're going." I said and turned.

I wish I had on a dress, just to make that awesome swish sound that Meg, Christine and Madame Giry had accompanying them.

I started to go out the door with my Paris Friends, but someone grabbed my arm. I whirled around to see who had my arm, and found myself face to face with Ethan.

"We believe you, Katey; it's just that we're all in shock of what you've had to go through."

"Well it would be nice if you got over your shock and come along! We've got to hurry! They" I gestured to the French group "Can't stay here for another day!"

"I know, so we've got to get going. Come on." He said to the crowd behind us, motioning them through the front door.

Ethan had his arm around my shoulder still, and I saw from the corner of my eye, Erik trying to keep down a laugh.

"Hang on…" I said, ducking out from under him.

I went over to Erik and got on my tip toe so that he could hear me whisper. "You better wipe that grin off your face…"

"And what if I don't?" he challenged.

"I'll… um…" I cast around in my mind for something mean. Then I got it. "Don't make me bring Raoul here. I _do _have the power to do that, you know."

He seemed to pale a little under his mask, and I smiled wickedly, going back to Ethan.

"What was that all about?"

"A little reminder to keep his temper in line." I said simply.

"Hold up!" Kelee said as we got outside.

"What now?" Christi asked, impatient to go after a mad man.

"We can't go out in public like this! At least not them!" Kelee said, referring to the group dressed in clothes over a hundred years old.

"You're right… Phangirls would be all over them… at least all over Erik anyhow." I said, realizing now how stupid it would be to have Erik walking around in his Phantom costume.

"Alright, Girls, we'll take the ladies, guys… well… you wait here. I guess we'll have to handle Erik." I said, hoping that we could at least make it to my house without having to be mauled by crazed Phangirls.

But how stupid my hopes were…

My house is past one of the Libraries, and it was the local haunt for musical lovers such as me, and unfortunately for us… we had to walk right past it.

"Walk faster; please… that library has more of your fans in it than should be allowed…" I said to them, and they picked up their pace, but we would have had to have been running as fast as superman to get past there without being seen by one of the girls.

And right as we stepped into the line of vision by the windows, the doors banged open and out came the girls, some friends of mine, some not.

"More fans… keep going… keep going…" I said to them, and they hurried their pace, not sure of what to make of these crazy girls who seemed to all be wearing shirts with Gerik on the front.

"Oh my GOD! It's ERIK!" they shrieked.

I shoved the small of Erik's back with all my might.

"MOVE!" I commanded him, for he had stopped in either fear or flattery.

But all at once they swooped down on us like birds of prey.

"Katey! Where did you get them?" they asked, as though I had bought them from somewhere.

"Nowhere! Now let us go! We're just on our way back home from…the photographers…. Now let us go!"

"But!" They started, but I cut them off.

"But nothing, you're all being rude to my friends. They just won a Phantom of the Opera look-a-like contest. Now let us go, my goodness." Abby fibbed. I was surprised she had come up with a lie that fast.

They backed off, muttering darkly.

"Come on, let's go, before they realize we're lying." I whispered in French. "You too, Erik." I added, grabbing his arm and tugging.

**-**

I had lain out a 'regular' outfit of my dad's for him, and then selected one of my mom's dresses for Madame Giry, bringing it back up to my room for her.

Inside I found pandemonium.

Evidently Jenny, Christi, Abby, Clair, and Kelee were trying to break the language barrier by shouting and miming. The Paris Girls, as I had grown accustomed to calling them, looked horrified at the prospect of having to wear jeans and were shouting back in French.

"My God!" I said when I came in. Everyone stopped yelling for a moment, and then all at once started it back up, all trying to tell me to reason with the other language.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!" I cried over all to noise, switching from French to English with every other word, bringing the room to a silence.

"Firstly, Madame Giry, if you do not mind wearing this…" I said, handing her the dress.

True it was a bit fancy for just going out looking to murder someone, but it would have to do.

She accepted the dress, and I directed her to the bathroom where she could change in privacy, then I turned to the Paris Girls.

"Meg, Christine, I know how uncomfortable you are at the suggestion of wearing man's pants, so I'm going to suggest a skirt." I said, opening my closet doors and pulling out two of my skirts that fell to just under the knee.

"It is too short! I cannot go out exposing my leg!" Meg said, holding the beaded skirt up to her.

"I know, but it's the best I can do." I said, now turning to pull out a pair of screen tees.

They stole a look at one another, but accepted them without comment, both fully knowing that it was useless to argue.

"Fleur, could you help us?" Christine asked, pulling her hair around her shoulders, exposing the long row of buttons down her back.

I nodded and began to undo them swiftly, with a little edge of expertise. Any of my friends from now that tried to undo these buttons would have gone completely mad by the fifth one and tried ripping the dress off without undoing it. I know I was ready to do that the first hundred times I had to change, but I got the hang of it eventually.

I un-did the last button in record time, and went on to help Meg while Christine shucked off her dress and petticoats, exposing her lace up shoes, stockings, pantalets, a long chemise and corset laced to the impossibly tiny sixteen inches.

I told her and Meg that the corset, chemise and pantalets would be fine, but the stockings and shoes were a no-no.

I dressed them up in modern day clothes, and the shirts fit well around the shoulders, but it made the waist look bigger than it actually was.

"Um, ok, the skirt looks fantastic on you two, but the shirts won't work…" I said, rooting through my drawers for two draw-string shirts. "Shoot… of all the times for them to be in the laundry…" I muttered.

"Never mind, I'm going to have to play seamstress here for a moment…" I said, grabbing a box of safety pins and kneeling down behind them, pinning their shirts back so they fit their bodices snuggly.

I stood in front of them and examined their new look.

Very out of character.

Christine wore a simple black skirt that had a 50's-ish feel to it, and a pale blue shirt that had a picture of Wonder Woman, and then her logo. Meg wore a skirt that looked the same as Christine's except it had little black beads sewn to the hem and wore my white shirt with the Billabong logo written over the chest.

They looked almost like normal teenage girls, except for the miniscule waist line, pale white skin, and hair.

The waist and skin color I couldn't do much about, but the hair I could.

I sat them down on my bed and loosened their hair out of the neat pleats, and ran my brush through their hair, pulling it back into pony tails, making them look a little more normal.

Jenny went to my closet and pulled out some French Soles for them.

Madame Giry walked in just then, and was stunned to see her two girls dressed so 'scantily'. While she herself was dressed in something considered what a whore would wear in 1870 something.

It was my mother's vintage 1930's wrap dress that was a denim blue color with bright yellow flowers strewn in a pretty pattern. She wore a pair of plain black T-strap pumps, which made her legs look perfect.

"Madame, I know it isn't proper to wear this little in public, but I can tell you that no one will scorn you here. I promise you." I said honestly, trying to calm her.

She stiffly nodded.

"Alright, let's go make sure Erik hasn't done anything stupid, and we'll go." I said in both languages.

I had them wait in the living room while I went up to my parent's close door and knocked. "Erik, you dressed, yet?"

There was no answer, so I opened the door slowly, opening it only two inches.

I put my mouth against the crack calling, "Erik?"

I opened the door a little more, but something stopped it. I thrust against the door harder, and felt it thump against something.

I stuck my head through the door, and peered around at what was in the way, and then screamed.

I couldn't help it, you'd be screaming your head off too if you saw a corpse with a mutilated face and blood all over him from the long criss-crossed slit on his throat, directly above his Adam's Apple.

And then all of a sudden my screams were silenced by a hard hand over my mouth, and then one around my waist, pulling me inside.

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**Review nicely! **


	22. Die, Sucker, Die

**Once again, reminding you not to hate me.**

**-------------------**

I was pulled with my back to the man, and drug to the middle of the room, struggling with all my might.

"MMM EEI OOOHH" my yell was muffled by his hand, and it came out all messed up.

The man behind me chuckled, but stopped suddenly when there was a knock on the door.

"KATEY/FLEUR! WHAT'S WRONG?" I heard in two languages ask at the same time.

"Say you're fine. Say it or die." He whispered roughly in my ear, and loosened his grip on my face.

"CALL 911!" I screamed, just before I heard a small snap. I just had enough time to wonder, what in the world was that? Before I felt the pains come from my tailbone. He had broken my tail bone.

The hand came around my mouth again, this time as an iron grip, making me worry he was going to break my jaw.

"You're going to pay for that." He said, squeezing harder.

I let out a small whimper, already imagining the sound of teeth popping out of my gums.

The man laughed harder, but just like before, stopped mid-chuckle.

It hadn't been just me. The unmistakable break squeal could be heard from out side, followed by car doors slamming, and then "POLICE, OPEN THE DOOR!" from out front.

The door could be heard opening, and then a pounding on the bedroom door.

The man already had an idea though. He dragged me backwards; still against him until he was leaned against the door blocking it better than Erik could have done by himself, seeing as he was still bleeding.

Evidently the man had slashed through the Jugular Vein as well, because blood, though starting to cake in other areas, was still seeping, even as I watched.

I couldn't take my eyes off the ever so still form of Erik, the famous un-beatable opera Ghost, finally beaten by the very man who was holding my mouth and my waist, starting to crush my diaphragm.

"POLICE! OPEN UP!" a voice thundered from outside, still pounding on the door and jiggling the knob.

"If you were the police," the man shouted back "then you would have had sirens."

There was no response from the other side of the door, only an increased attempt to open the door. And then it hit me. The girls hadn't called the cops… instead they called the guys.

And I had another revelation at the same time, too.

The man who was holding me captive wasn't just some random stranger… it was Francois.

Well this just makes everything all the more fun! I thought sarcastically.

I twisted violently under François's grip, and managed to steal a few seconds of freedom.

"It's Francois! He's already killed Erik!" I shouted, and the door stopped shaking.

"Katey! Are you alright?" Came Ethan's voice.

I didn't have time to reply. Francois's hand had already darted out, reaching for me; but I kicked out, hitting him between his legs, and then his knees out from under him, remembering the last time I tried to hit the male soft spot.

His knees gave way like I hoped, but he landed on Erik's face, breaking his nose with a crunch, and causing more blood to flow, while I had thought no human could bleed that much.

I kneed him in the head, but he caught my leg, pulling my down on top of the bloody Erik, making him actually squish under me.

Francois rose quickly, and before I had time to react, he kicked me hard in the chest, making me gasp.

He kept a knee on my stomach, and reached in his pocket for something that I couldn't see…

But then it came into view, still coated in Erik's gore that hadn't yet dried.

He yanked me up, and again pulled me, back against chest, and into the middle of the room, but instead of having his other hand around my waist, it was now against my throat, with the knife in hand.

I felt Erik's vital fluids against the flesh just above my jugular, still sticky.

The door flew open and Ethan and the rest of the guys fell in, stumbling over Erik's lifeless body.

But they had no choice but to ignore him as they saw me, about to die… for good this time.

"Let her go!" Demanded Ethan, rushing forward.

"Stay where you are and she remains unscathed." Francois snarled.

He and the rest of the guys stepped back, trying not to provoke the mad man keeping me captive.

Francois turned his attention from the boys wholly to me, and stroked my skin with the knife gently, saying quietly "And now my dear, I ask of you. Do you wish to die like your friend over there did?"

I started to shake my head, but realized it was a rouse for me to slice my neck myself. I changed tactics, choosing to try and speak.

"MO" I said calmly, not betraying my fear. But why should I be afraid? I thought suddenly. He's just a psycho who is currently trying to prove something by killing me; which really wouldn't prove anything besides the fact he's deranged.

I suddenly relaxed my tense posture and stopped trying to struggle. And then I did nothing but stand there, looking at the wall, unable to stare any of my friends in the face.

And then, without any warning at all, I made my move. I bit against his hand while jerking my neck away from the knife, and elbowing him hard between his rib cage.

The result was him letting me go, and I lunged for the blade, grabbing it away from him, but accidentally slicing my palm.

But I couldn't feel any of the pain. Not from my tailbone or my hand, which was bleeding freely. The only thing that mattered was that I had kicked Francois's knees from under him again; he was now at my mercy, kneeling before me, and I now had the cutlass at his throat.

"You made my life hell; prepare to die." I said clearly. Francois looked up at me with something like fear and plea in his eyes, but I ignored it, glaring down at him.

"Good-bye forever." I said coldly, before making my move, and slicing his jugular in the same manner he did Erik's.

I stepped back swiftly, but not before a squirt of blood splattered on the front of my jeans and sweater, staining it even darker as Francois fell on my lap, wetting me to the skin with every pulse from his still beating heart.

I dropped the dagger on the carpet, and stepped back again, letting the man who had tortured me almost to insanity fell with a thump onto the carpet, wetting it with a deep pool of red.

The room was at a stand still behind me, and when I turned to face to mob, I had no emotion on my face.

I stared at them for a fleeting second before I pushed through them, seeking the pure, cold openness of the outdoors.

I threw my back door open, greeting the below freezing temperature with open arms, and felt flecks of snow land on my face and hair, and all over my clothes, sticking to the fresh blood, staining it red.

I bent down and scooped up a handful with my good hand and pressed it against my open wound, making it sting and hurt.

My mind was spinning. I had murdered a man, and seen another dead man, still bleeding… and cruor all over my parent's room and now living room from me.

How was I going to explain this to my mother and father? Or the Police? Or the EMTs when they take Erik and Francois's bodies away?

An unnerving weight seemed to settle on my shoulders, making me physically sag, and I wanted nothing more than to drop flat on the snow covered grass and fall sleep. It couldn't have been later than one in the afternoon, but I already felt as though I'd been awake for days on end.

I felt my body fall, but at the same time didn't. It was as though I was slowly going numb…

I felt a jolt go through me as I realized what was happening to my body.

Symptoms of severe blood loss were disorientation, numbness, and the overcoming feeling like you're going to fall asleep.

I lifted my head weakly to check out my hand, but it was unidentifiable in all the red snow.

I lifted my hand, bringing it close to my face, and I saw that the blood hadn't even begun to cake. It was still going strong. I tilted it back, palm up, but the blood seemed to ooze up.

And that's when I suddenly felt sick. I felt the world spin wildly, and I felt my stomach start to heave.

I turned my face away, and tried to breath deep and slow. I didn't know what had come over me… I'd never felt sick at the sight of blood before, but now all of a sudden I felt like I was going to faint… but if I did, then I would give in to possible death… whether it be from the cold or loss of vital fluid.

I tried sitting up, raising my hand above the level of my heart, but I still felt trickles of the gore trickle down my sleeves, over my arm pits and down my sides. That and the sharp, stabbing pains from the broken tail bone were enough to make me just want to run around screaming in agony… but I knew I was stronger than that; succumbing to a little pain.

I rolled over onto my stomach, trying to keep the pain out of my rear as well as my hand.

I started to worry… why hadn't anyone come looking for me? Did they not want to be in the presence of a murder?

I felt sick at the thought of that… my whole life ruined from one little mistake made in the heat of the moment… forsaken by everyone I met… unless I just spent the rest on my life in prison…

My head spun, and it felt like boulders were being dropped on my head and the rest of my body too, for that matter. I was being crushed with pain, and things were spinning again as though I were drunk…

Feeling too tired to deal with all of these feelings… I shut my eyes, letting myself let go, if only I could drift into peaceful blackness… no dreams or nightmares…

There was black, all around me now, but the pain remained still, always cutting into my hand, and crushing my tail with forces that only the strongest could survive… then sirens… loud noise that made my eardrums want to explode… pin pricks at my wrist, sending a cold poison into my veins, spreading up through my heart and back around my circulatory system… the strange sensation of being lifted…and then, something warm, numbing all of my pain, sending me into a delirious stupor…

I'm drunk! I thought before drifting, finally, into a peaceful slumber.

**------------------**

**THE WITCH OF THE WEST IS DEAD, THE WICKEDEST WITCH THERE EVER WAS, THE ENIMY OF ALL OF US HERE IN OZ, IS DEAD!**

**Sorry, that seemed appropriate…**

**Sorry again for killing of the beloved Erik… please don't kill me. **

**Also, I'm going to be in Arizona until July 20th. I MAY or MAY not finish this thing, before we leave tonight, so I'm going to cross my fingers, and advise you to do the same. **


	23. Deja Vu

**I'll tell you the fate of Erik in the chapter…**

**------------------------------**

I lay flat on my stomach in the hospital bed, surrounded by the best of friends a girl could ever have.

They had covered for me, even when the death penalty loomed dangerously close… but after the best story ever, things turned, and I wasn't going to be charged for anything, not even the hospital bill.

'Self preservation' is what it was ruled I believe.

Evidently I walked in on Francois, a psycho killer on the loose, in the middle of murdering the random victim (Erik). Francois had to get rid of me, so he tried to kill me, and I beat him to it, cutting him before he could cut me.

In short, nothing that could deem me as a crazy person had taken place that day.

I had been found lying, motionless in the snow, believed at first dead, what with the blood loss and the cold, but after I was moved onto my back, I yelled out in pain, seeing as my tailbone was actually shattered.

So, had to go into surgery to get it fixed, then a few blood transfusions, and then wound up here on my stomach in a recovery room, surrounded by a bunch of beeping monitors that made me feel like deja vu.

"So how did you get Christine, Meg and Madame Giry out of there? I mean, they saw Erik's body… didn't they?" I asked in a low voice.

"I think they understood that it would be better for them to leave." Jenny said.

There was a quiet moment, and I wondered about if they saw Erik.

"Hang on… did they take my clothes? Because if I don't get those French Soles back I'm going to be really mad… What? Why are you all laughing? Oh come on, I _liked_ those shoes!"

"Katey, you're hooked up to about fifty things, and all you're concerned about is your shoes?" Clair asked through her laughter. "You're turning into the Wicked Witch of the West!"

"You mean Elphaba." I corrected automatically. Since I couldn't stand Phantom anymore, I had gotten deep into Wicked, something that Clair had never quite gotten. "Just as long as I'm not green, I'm fine with that… I mean honestly… who _doesn't _want to be Elphie?"

The whole room rolled their eyes. Obviously _they_ didn't want to be Elphaba.

"So, what do the kids at school think of me being a murderer?" I asked, curious about how the kids at school reacted to hearing about me killing someone in my own house.

"Well, to tell the truth they're all afraid of when you're coming back. I guess they think you're just going to pull out a switch blade and kill them all." Brad said, shrugging.

I started to laugh hard, but I suppose the pain medication was wearing off, because sharp spasms of pain went up and down my spine, making me stop and cringe.

"Katey, you alright?" Clair asked urgently, coming closer to my bed.

"Yeah, ow, the pain medication's wearing off… God, when this is all over I hope I don't become an addict…" I said, shrugging. That hurt too. I guess I had to remember not to move. "But don't call the nurse, she's going to…"

"Oops, too late." Clair said, pushing the call button and making me stop mid-sentence.

"Yes?" The nurse said over the intercom on my bed rail.

"Clair, don't! I'm fine! I just have to remember not to move, that's all." I hissed, but the nurse interrupted me.

"Katey needs some more pain killers, the old one's are wearing off." Clair said in a firm voice.

"I'll be right there."

"You suck big time." I said, trying to cross my arms.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, so whenever your butt gets fixed you're going to jump me." She said, rolling her eyes.

The group laughed, but I held my breath, trying not to join in with them.

My door opened quietly, and the laughter was quickly subsided when they saw the needle.

I squirmed uncomfortably. I had a terrible phobia of needles, and the IV in my arm was killing me.

She first checked my stats paper from the machine, inspecting my heart rate and whatever else was on there, and then picked up my arm.

I turned my head away, not wanting to watch her stick the needle into me.

There was a sharp prick on my wrist, and then something incredibly cold flowed up my arm, chilling my, literally, to the bone.

"My God I hate needles…" I mumbled, but the nurse just patted my hand after she drew the syringe out.

I cringed, feeling the metal coming out of my skin, and then pulled my hand back, keeping it close to me. Even though it sounded juvenile, I was afraid she was going to change her mind and say that I hadn't had enough painkillers, and have to stab me again.

"And you guys…" She said, pointing to my friends "Out. This girl needs some rest." She said, talking as if I wasn't really there… which I think I was starting to not be, because the medication made me all tired, like I was about to fall asleep.

The nurse walked to the door, holding it open, obviously meaning my friends should leave _now_.

They sighed, obviously wishing she would just leave so they could stay longer, and stood.

"See, now you know why I didn't want this stuff, _Clair_." I said, my voice not betraying the fact I felt like I was drunk.

"Whatever; at least you aren't hurting anymore." She said, picking up her purse.

"Yeah, but I don't feel much of else either." I said, raising an eyebrow.

"We'll come see you tomorrow after school, and bring you all your work so you don't get left in the dust!" Clair ignored my last comment, patting my head like I was a four year old.

"Thrill of my life." I sighed. "Hey, while you're bringing me boring stuff, could you bring Wicked and Son of a Witch? They're on my bookshelf, third shelf." I added, hoping to get rid of my boredom.

"What, you don't want to read the Phantom?" she teased.

I gave her a look that clearly stated that I didn't appreciate her making jokes about the Phantom; especially what with seeing Erik's dead corpse, which was still scary despite the fact that he wasn't really dead. He had gone back to Paris after his throat was slit, much like I had come back to my time after I had been strangled by Francois.

"Ok, well I'll be going then." She said quickly, and then left.

"Katey…" Ethan said quietly.

I looked up, having had forgotten he was there. I expected him to say something like "Get better" or "See you tomorrow." But no, he surprised me by doing something completely wild and unexpected…

He leaned down, cupped my chin in his hands… and kissed me.

Had I been standing I would have fallen in a dead faint. It was infinitely better than the stupid kiss at the masquerade. It took my breath away, and my heart felt like it was going a mile a minute.

Actually it was.

The crazy monitor had started beeping like mad, and Ethan and I pulled back at the same time, embarrassed.

"Get better soon, okay?" He said, straitening up.

I nodded, still blushing. The nurse at the door had seen everything, and came over to me after Ethan left.

"Well, we'll just keep that our little secret…" she said, re-setting the heart-rate-checker.

"Okay…" I said, still breathless.

Ethan had to like me… he just had to…

I sighed and let my head drop on the pillow, falling asleep, dreaming on Ethan.

**-THE END-**

**See? Erik is fine! He's back in Paris. **

**Be happy and review, please! **


	24. One Door Closes While Another Opens

**A few years later… **

**---------**

I walked down the hall on my father and mother's arm. My dress trailed grandly after me, and the veil hid my features.

The girls and I had been up since… since far too early, making sure everything was perfect; my hair, nails, make-up, dress, bouquet and etcetera.

Now it was the moment… the scariest time in my life, when I was leaving everything familiar and safe, and venturing into the unknown... but I was willing to take the risk… the plunge into something new and exciting.

"And you're sure, sweetheart?" dad asked, hugging me tight before we entered the room.

"I've never been so sure of anything, daddy." I said, calling him the name I had when I was little.

He smiled sadly, and I hugged my mom, trying to fight down the butterflies in my stomach.

The doormen pulled the doors open, and I heard the all too familiar music start playing. Every head in attendance swiveled to gawk at me, all smiling and nodding appreciatively.

The music swelled as I walked further down the isle, and I kept my sights straight ahead on my future husband who was gazing lovingly at me.

Mom and dad stopped at the alter, and my groom-to-be came down, taking my arm from my father and mother, saying a quick thank you to them for letting me marry him.

We went up to the alter, and listened to the preacher say his little "after I talk say 'I do' bit, and then the rings were brought.

It seemed so much like in the practices that it was like I was already married, but now, with all of the people watching us it felt like I was being torn from my family, even when it was voluntary.

I slipped the ring on his hand, and then he began.

The door to my youth was shutting, but right next to it a new one was opening. I could pick either of them, but time was running out.

The diamond ring was slipped onto my finger, and the old door was shut.

"You may kiss the bride."

He lifted my veil, and I smiled up at him, wondering if he felt the same feelings as I did.

He leaned down and kissed me, the exact way he had in that hospital room nearly five years ago.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. Ethan Moore."

**---------------**

**Guys, I've loved writing for you, and will continue to do so.**

**But not for Phantom of the Opera. **

**gasp **

**No, I'm going to be writing stories I specifically make up on my own, so I'll be listed in the 'misc.' part of **

**And now, with only minutes to spare before leaving, I conclude the series of Katey Douglas, or as she is now, Katey Moore. **


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